“Safeguard the identity and uniqueness of Geographical Indications guarantees the consumer authentic, certified and quality products, allowing us to preserve an intergenerational heritage that is decisive for the economy of many territories. The recent reform of the European Regulation, in this sense, is a fundamental step: for the Italian PDO Economy, which today is worth over 9 billion euros, the consolidation of the Geographical Indications network could be worth a further 3 billion in the next 10 years and generate a significant effect on related industries, including tourism. The next European Parliament and the next European Commission will have a central role in this process of international valorization and protection: an action plan is needed to support the implementation of the EU reform and Italy must be a protagonist in this scenario”. As Guglielmo Garagnani, spoke as vice president of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium at “International seminar on global trends and challenges of Geographical Indications” held in recent days in Guadalajara, Mexico, and organized by OriGin, the international network of Geographical Indications.
“That of Geographical Indications is a path of excellence: these products are history, they are culture, they are a living testament to the traditions and knowledge of our territories. The constant commitment to their protection is essential and the new European Regulation 1143 recently approved introduces important elements – he explains Garagnani who is also a candidate for Fdi in the next European elections as an expression of the agricultural world in the north-east constituency -: the European reform introduces elements of greater protection and commercial valorisation for already consolidated Geographical Indication chains but also offers new growth opportunities for recent or still small ones. For Italy this is a great opportunity to develop the economic dimension of the Dop Economy both directly, by increasing a turnover of up to 30% over the next 10 years which is currently worth 9 billion euros, and indirectly thanks to the driving effect that Geographical Indications can have on related industries. Let’s think, for example, of food and wine and experiential tourism and to the boom it has had in recent years, bringing precious resources to many areas of the country, or to supply chains such as those of corn, barley and Italian sorghum which are essential as feed for zootechnical Geographical Indications and which, in the future, could themselves be protected”.
“Over the last 30 years, the European Union has been central to giving substance to the policy of Geographical Indications and to support individual supply chains – explains Garagnani -, but this role has not ended with the reform just approved: on the contrary, the European Commission and Parliament will play a central role in the near future. It is imperative to get the international recognition of registered names: a topic that also showed all its urgency in Guadagajara, given the contrary position of important international lobbies, primarily the Americans, who have everything to gain from a ‘large-mesh’ network of Geographical Indications. But even looking at Europe alone, a concrete action plan is needed to ground the reform and make citizens and businesses understand its value and potential. This will be one of the first challenges of the new Europe and Italy, due to its history and the ‘specific weight’ of its Geographical Investigations, will not be able to accept a role that is not a protagonist”.
