How the EU’s Geographical Indications scheme helps foster economic development in rural areas

Products associated with specific locations in Europe, such as Roquefort and Parma ham, are protected under the EU’s ‘Geographical Indications’ scheme. This ensures these products can only be legally sold if they are produced in specified areas. As Riccardo Crescenzi, Fabrizio De Filippis, Mara Giua and Cristina Vaquero-Piñeiro write, Geographical Indications play a vital role for local development in rural areas with limited public expenditure. They provide protection against reproduction elsewhere, facilitate an upward effect on pricing and quality reputation, and improve demographic trends and sectoral re-composition.