From December 2025, artisans can apply for a new geographical indication.
The General Secretariat of Industry of the Ministry of Development, in collaboration with the Hellenic Industrial Property Organisation (OBI), has already undertaken a series of initiatives to promote the inclusion of Greek craft and industrial products under the protection of geographical indications, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2023/2411.
Specifically, the General Secretariat for Industry:
- Promotes the national legislative framework to simplify the process of integrating Greek products,
- Monitors developments at the EU and international level,
- Implements informational actions and visits,
- Plans events to promote geographically indicated products.
Our country successfully participated in the International Conference on Geographical Indications, held on January 28-29, 2025, in Alicante, Spain.
Additionally, many producer associations have already been informed by the relevant authorities about the benefits of Regulation (EU) 2023/2411, have expressed interest, and are collaborating with the competent authorities for the registration process.
As part of these initiatives, producer associations and local stakeholders are called upon to support the effort to include more products under the geographical indication protection regime.
Contact Information:
General Secretariat of Industry, Directorate of Entrepreneurship and Small-Medium Enterprises: Email: supportings_smes_gsi@mindev.gov.gr, Tel.: 210 3893927,-916
Hellenic Industrial Property Organisation (OBI): Ε-mail : info@obi.gr, Tel 210 6183552, – 647
General Secretariat of Industry website for Geographical Indications:
https://www.ggb.gr/el/geographical_indications_craft_industrial_products
More on the EU Regulation:
On October 27, 2023, the European Commission (EC) published Regulation 2411/2023 regarding the protection of Geographical Indications (GI) for craft and industrial products. The new Regulation came into effect on November 16, 2023, and will be applied from December 1, 2025. The need for this Regulation arose from the absence of an EU-level mechanism for safeguarding GIs for non-agricultural products, with only 16 Member States having established specific national systems for the protection of GIs for such products.
The EU Regulation covers products such as:
- Natural stones
- Textiles
- Jewelry
- Porcelain
- Ceramics
- Wooden products, etc.
It applies to all types of producers but focuses on supporting SMEs, especially micro-enterprises located in remote areas.
In this way, it promotes development in rural/remote areas of Europe by encouraging producers to invest in new, authentic products and providing improved information to consumers.
