Descrizione

This paper discusses the EU legislation on indications of geographical origin in the olive oil sector, as contained generally in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 29/2012 on marketing standards for olive oil. This involves referring to the legislative background and the scant existing literature as well as to the growing number of decisions rendered recently by authorities and courts on the issue. Of particular interest to this study are decisions given in the sphere of trade marks, as these clarify the content and scope of these standards whose interpretation has been contentious since they were adopted. The paper ends with an analysis of the rules on designating the geographical origin of olive oils used as ingredients of composite foods, distinguishing between two scenarios according to whether the oil is protected by a quality mark.

Ángel Martínez Gutiérrez is Professor of Commercial Law at the University of Jaén and Rector of the Royal Spanish College in Bologna.