The European Union (EU) deposited its instrument of ratification to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration 1958 (Geneva Act) today, 26 November 2019.
Ambassador Terhi Hakala, Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva, deposited the EU instrument with Francis Gurry, the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, in the presence of Phil Hogan, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development.
The EU’s ratification will bring the Geneva Act into force in three months, on 26 February 2020.
The Geneva Act adopted on 20 May 2015 provides for the international registration and protection of appellations of origin and geographical indications. It modernises the Lisbon Agreement in two main ways. First, it extends its scope from appellations of origin to all geographical indications. Second, it extends its eligibility for membership from only States to both States and intergovernmental organisations.
In addition to the EU, four other countries have acceded to the Geneva Act. Therefore, it will initially cover 32 countries.
