Global Assembly on Geographical Indications

During the Universal Exhibition of Milan 2015, the Italian Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Agriculture organize the first “Global Assembly on Geographical Indications”.

Italy, as hosting country of EXPO 2015 and leader for number of GIs in Europe, will launch a debate on the role that GIs play internationally, thus promoting a unique event that aims at gathering together high representatives of NGOs and government organizations, academics and stakeholders to discuss on Geographical Indications, especially on their potentialities and future perspectives.

The event will take place in Milan – Auditorium Palazzo Italia Expo 2015 – on the 12th of October, 2015, and it will be articulated in three thematic panels (Geographical Indications, Sustainable Development and Food Security; Geographical Indications and future scenarios; International Protection of Geographical Indications).

The third Panel on “International Protection of Geographical Indications” is coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Development and is aimed at opening a constructive dialogue among the main international actors involved in the negotiation of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements.

In particular, the objective is to prompt those Countries that do not guarantee the same level of protection as the EU to geographical indications – or that do not recognize and protect GIs as IPR, as is the case for the US – to debate this issue with the Commission. Thus, the aim is to discover – and to evaluate – paths that could be taken in order to open up those deadlock emerged during negotiations, highlighting potential synergies in multilateral or bilateral fora. To this aim, two essays on the protection of GIs in TTIP will be presented.

The Minister of Agriculture and the Deputy Minister of Economic Development will close the event.

For any further information and registration, please contact the Ministry of Agriculture:
tel: (+39) 06 4665 5106 - 5206 mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
tel: (+39) 06 4665 3139 mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

> Global Assembly on Geographical Indications (pdf)