(1)

The Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications (2) (‘the Geneva Act’) is an international agreement under which the Contracting Parties implement a system of mutual protection of appellations of origin and geographical indications.

(2)

Following Council Decision (EU) 2019/1754 (3) on the accession of the Union to the Geneva Act, the Union deposited the instrument of accession to the Geneva Act on 26 November 2019. The accession of the Union to the Geneva Act took effect on 26 February 2020. Since the Union was the fifth Contracting Party acceding to the Geneva Act, the Geneva Act entered into force on that same date, in accordance with Article 29(2) of the Geneva Act.

(3)

In accordance with Article 5(1) and (2) of the Geneva Act, the Competent Authorities of each Contracting Party to the Geneva Act may file applications for international registration of an appellation of origin or geographical indication with the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization, which registers it in the International Register. In accordance with Article 9 of the Geneva Act, the other Contracting Parties may decide whether to protect that appellation of origin or geographical indication in their territories at the end and in the light of a specific screening procedure.

(4)

In accordance with Article 1(2) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1753, for the purpose of that Regulation and of the acts adopted pursuant thereto, the term ‘geographical indications’ covers the protected designations of origin and the protected geographical indications within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4).

(5)

In accordance with Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1753, as the Competent Authority of the Union, the Commission is empowered to file applications for international registration of Union appellations of origin and geographical indications with the International Bureau upon the accession of the Union to the Geneva Act and thereafter on a regular basis.

(6)

Between September and December 2020, Member States sent to the Commission, in accordance with Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1753, 47 requests to register in the International Register protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications that originate in their territory and that are protected in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(7)

Names protected in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 as protected designation of origin (PDO) and protected geographical indications (PGI) should be filed as applications for registration in the International Register as appellations of origin and geographical indications respectively.

(8)

A list of protected designations of origin (PDOs) and protected geographical indications (PGIs), based on those requests of the Member States to the Commission to file applications for international registration of geographical indications that originate in their territory and that are protected in the Union in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, should therefore be established.

(9)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Agricultural Product Quality Policy Committee,