Decision

12 January 2023: meeting summary of UK-Georgia geographical indications (GIs) sub-committee

Published 3 January 2024

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Meeting: UK-Georgia geographical indications (GIs) sub-committee

Date: 12 January 2023

Summary of discussion

  1. The parties agreed the EU-Georgia GI Rules of Procedure (RoP) would apply, mutatis mutandis, as per the UK-Georgia Agreement. The parties agreed to work on a bespoke RoP for the UK-Georgia GI Sub-Committee. The UK confirmed that it would propose a bespoke draft RoP for Georgia to consider and discuss ahead of the next sub-committee.

  2. The UK and Georgian delegations made presentations on their GI schemes and answered questions on application processes, protections afforded and the enforcement of GIs.

  3. The UK informed Georgia that GI protection for the name Swaledale Cheese had been cancelled. It was no longer a GI or protected in the UK.

Georgia and the UK confirmed their intentions to share lists of new GIs to be considered for protection under this agreement.

The UK requested that Georgia share the specifications, in English language, of the Georgian GIs currently protected on the UK GI register to enable UK enforcement officers to better understand the GIs for protection purposes. Georgia agreed to do so.

The UK highlighted that the listings on the Georgian register for irish whiskey and irish cream as products of Ireland would need to be amended as they were also products of the UK and could come from anywhere on the island of Ireland. Georgia confirmed the correction would be made to the Georgian register.

Georgia sought clarification on the format of the listing of Kentish ale and other GIs which they noted the UK had queried. The UK confirmed it would follow up and set out in writing the action to take.

  1. The parties agreed the operational conclusions and actions to take forward from the meeting.

  2. The parties thanked each other for a successful first meeting.

Georgia agreed to host and chair the next meeting. The parties agreed to determine the date of the next meeting by correspondence.

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