Last November, the EU and China concluded negotiations on a trade agreement which will recognise 100 geographical indications for EU products on the Chinese market and 100 geographical indications for Chinese products on the EU market.

At the same time, under the recent economic and trade agreement concluded between China and the US, China is committed to allowing its trading partners, such as the US, to raise objections to the geographical indications listed in China’s agreements with other trading partners, such as the EU.

Given this, there is a clear risk that, even before the EU-China agreement enters into force, the protection of EU geographical indications – including those for feta – will be lifted on the Chinese market.

In view of this, can the Commission say:

1 What is the significance of these developments for products protected by a geographical indication, such as feta, under the China-EU agreement, and what are the implications for the EU’s trade relations with China?

2 What steps does the Commission intend to take to ensure that geographical indications for EU products are protected, as agreed between the EU and China?

Full text here

Answer given by Mr Wojciechowski on behalf of the European Commission here