On 15 December 2021, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) gave the green light to Turkey’s application for the registration of ‘Turkaegean’ as an EU trade mark. The request, which had been registered since 16 July of the same year and will be valid for a decade, was also registered with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). In the meantime, the US has rejected the application.

Use of the designation ‘Turkaegean’ for tourist purposes is misleading, seeking as it does to confuse potential visitors by inextricably linking the Aegean Sea with Turkey. At the same time, it challenges the sovereign rights of Greece in the Aegean Sea.

Such a move on the part of Turkey is not in line with the principles of good neighbourliness, one of the preconditions for EU membership. At the same time it is inadmissible for such a request to have been accepted by the EU, especially following the recent European Parliament report on Turkey.

In view of this:

Can the Commission say how it plans to prevent Turkey from using this designation as a ‘springboard’ for further challenges to Greek sovereignty over its islands and the surrounding waters? What measures will it take to prevent future EUIPO approval for such trademarks?

Check here the joint answer given by Mr Breton on behalf of the European Commission