The European negotiator in FTA on agricultural issues, Lionel Mesnildrey and Cornelis Keijzer, head of Trade Department of EU Delegation in Australia, said in a joint press conference, during the international trade fair Global Table, that the protection of geographical indication names is an important part of the discussions between Australia and the EU.
Recently the Australian government published a list of products which the European Union has proposed to include in the provisions of the FTA currently negotiated between the EU and Australia, seeking public consultations on the issue of Geographical Indications.
It is unclear, at this stage, what the protection of geographical indication would mean for Australian consumers and producers.
The EU is asking for a change in the name of agricultural products, such as certain cheeses, produced in Australia. Among them is the Greek fetta cheese which is a rather complicated case since it falls under both categories of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).
Greece was hosted at the European Delegation stand at Global Table Melbourne, on Tuesday 3 September, aiming to raise awareness on Greek Geographical Indication (GI) products, such as feta, olive oil, ouzo, and mastiha spirit.
The press release from the Greek embassy in Australia mentioned that '"The Consulate General of Greece in Melbourne and the Trade Commission of Greece in Australia were present at the EU stand at Global Table, and representatives of the Greek companies EPIROS and TIRNAVOS IMPORTS offered their products for tastings all day. Global Table visitors had the opportunity to taste authentic feta drizzled with olive oil, but also hot grilled saganaki cheese, and ice cold ouzo and mastiha, and to learn how they are made, and how we guarantee their exceptional quality."
