- Reuters -
Colombia has become the first non-European country to gain European Union brand name protection for one of its most famous exports coffee. EU authorities spent around two years to consider the application for Café de Colombia, the brand created by Colombia\'s National Federation of Coffee Growers, to be given a protected designation of origin within the 27-nation bloc.Colombia has become the first non-European country to gain European Union brand name protection for one of its most famous exports -- coffee.
EU authorities spent around two years to consider the application for Café de Colombia, the brand created by Colombia's National Federation of Coffee Growers, to be given a protected designation of origin within the 27-nation bloc.
The EU protects more than 800 regional foods and around 4,000 wines, among them Champagne, Rioja and Chianti, by insisting that only those producing such products in the relevant region can use such names.
"We made changes to the system to make it easier for non-EU countries to apply for registration. Café de Colombia is in line with the criteria so we are very happy," one Commission official said.
Until now, no foreign goods have been registered for similar EU protection. Colombia filed its application in June 2005.
The next year, EU farm ministers decided to change the bloc's its protected names system to comply with a world trade ruling following complaints by Australia and the United States.
The two countries said the EU's name registration system was so strict that it effectively discriminated against them because their producers were deterred from trying to register their foods in Europe. The EU says it has now simplied the system.
Colombia is the world's third largest coffee producer after Brazil and Vietnam.