(1)

The Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration of 31 October 1958 (‘the Lisbon Agreement’) is a treaty administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). By virtue of Council Decision (EU) 2019/1754 (1), on 26 November 2019 the Union acceded to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications (2) (‘the Geneva Act’), with effect from 26 February 2020. The Geneva Act itself entered into force on 26 February 2020.

(2)

Under Article 4(1) of Decision (EU) 2019/1754, the Commission is to be the Competent Authority referred to in Article 3 of the Geneva Act, responsible for the administration of the Geneva Act in the territory of the Union and for communications with the International Bureau of the WIPO under the Geneva Act and the Common Regulations under the Lisbon Agreement and the Geneva Act.

(3)

With a view to the administration at Union level of the registration of geographical indications for craft and industrial products provided for in Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3), and in line with the amendments introduced by that Regulation to Regulation (EU) 2019/1753 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4), the European Union Intellectual Property Office should be the Union’s Competent Authority in respect of geographical indications for craft and industrial products under the Geneva Act.

(4)

Decision (EU) 2019/1754 should therefore be amended accordingly,