site.btaBulgaria Joins Geneva Act of Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications

The government has approved the accession of Bulgaria to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications.

The Geneva Act is a revision of the Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration of October 31, 1958, to which  Bulgaria has been a party since 1975. With the Geneva Act, the European Union becomes a contracting party to the Lisbon Agreement. It provides protection for appellations of origin and geographical indications, including for agricultural products, foodstuffs, mineral waters, wines, as well as for geographical indications of spirits and for geographical indications of non-agricultural products registered under the relevant European regulations.

The accession will ensure the precedence and continuity of the protection of appellations of origin that have already been registered by Bulgaria under the Lisbon Agreement.

The effective implementation of European quality schemes is among the priorities of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. These schemes are a key tool for ensuring the safety and quality of Bulgarian products, as well as for encouraging producers and processors to create products with higher added value.