EU opens registration for craft and industrial product names under new geographical indication scheme

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

From 1 December 2025, Europe’s glassblowers, potters, cutlers, jewellers and other makers will be able to register their product names under the EU’s new geographical indication (GI) scheme for craft and industrial goods. This marks the first time GI protection, long used for food and drink, will cover non-agricultural products, completing the Single Market for GIs.

The system will protect iconic goods such as Bohemian glass, Limoges porcelain, Solingen knives and Donegal tweed, whose reputation and quality stem from their place of origin. This protection will safeguard traditional skills, support local jobs and help consumers recognise genuine, high-quality European products. By turning heritage into opportunity, it will strengthen regional economies, preserve cultural identity and curb counterfeits both online and offline.

Producers may apply through a recognised association or individually. Each application must include a ‘product specification’ outlining the name, production process and geographical area, and should be submitted to the relevant national authority in the EU Member States.

The GI registration procedure has two steps:

1. National level – the authority reviews the application and runs a national opposition procedure.
2. EU level – the application is then assessed by the EUIPO, which handles the EU-wide opposition procedure and decides on protection and registration.

Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands and Sweden have obtained a derogation for the national phase and producers will exceptionally be able to apply directly to the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which manages the whole procedure.

The Commission may intervene in cases where a registration could affect public policy or the EU’s trade and external relations.

Guidance, templates and contacts are available on the EUIPO’s CIGI Hub, including information on financial and technical support.

Background

Geographical indications are intellectual property rights that link a product’s qualities, reputation, or features to its place of origin.

Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 creates EU-wide protection for craft and industrial geographical indications (CIGIs). It builds on over 30 years of the agricultural GI system, which protects more than 3,600 names and generates about €75 billion a year – roughly 15% of EU food and drink exports.

The Regulation, adopted on 18 October 2023, sets up a single EU title for CIGIs, allowing producers to stop misuse of their names and secure international protection. Existing national craft and industrial GIs will end one year after the Regulation takes effect, in December 2026.

The CIGI scheme is run by the EUIPO, supervised by the Commission. The Commission may intervene where a registration could affect public policy or the EU’s trade and external relations.