On May 30, 2024, the Parliament of Moldova adopted the draft Law for the ratification of the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications
The purpose of the Geneva Act is to widen the coverage area of the Lisbon Agreement in force by creating an attractive mechanism for the protection of Geographical Indications (GI), similar to the protection of Appellations of Origin (AO), but also offering the possibility for organizations to join intergovernmental.
With the entry into force of the Geneva Act, it will be possible to request protection for GIs from the Republic of Moldova at the international level, which is beneficial for domestic producers as well as consumers.
At the same time, the Republic of Moldova assumes the responsibility to examine the requests for granting protection in Moldova for GIs and AOs from the states party to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement and to protect the Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications registered on its territory, according to its own legal system, but in accordance with the requirements of the Geneva Act.
The Geneva Act was adopted on May 20, 2015, during the Diplomatic Conference organized for this purpose and constitutes a revision of the Lisbon Agreement regarding the protection of indications of the place of origin of products and their international registration, signed on October 31, 1958.
In Moldova, 11 Geographical Indications and 7 local Appellations of Origin are protected.