November 25, 2020 About the EUIPO

Launch of GIview

Today sees the launch of GIview, a new search database for all geographical indications (GIs) protected at European Union level.

GIview provides a single entry point for data on GIs registered in the EU, and is a useful asset for consumers, producers and intellectual property professionals. It also contains detailed information on non-EU GIs protected at EU level through bilateral and multilateral agreements, and on EU GIs protected in non-EU countries.

The database, officially launched at the online conference ‘Strengthening GIs,’ is continually updated with official registered data from the European Commission (Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development) and is developed and maintained by the  EUIPO.

Geographical indications are a key economic asset for the European Union, and form part of the EU-wide system of intellectual property rights. According to research by the EUIPO and the European Patent Office, industries intensive in GI rights support nearly 400 000 jobs across the EU, and contribute over €20 billion to the EU’s GDP.

Additionally, a study published by the European Commission puts the yearly sales value of GI-protected products at €74.76 billion annually, a fifth of which results from exports outside the EU.

The EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, said:
I am proud to see the launch of the GIview portal, developed by the EU Intellectual Property Office. This platform is a great tool to give further publicity to our famous European geographical indications and those protected under our international agreements. Every EU registered geographical indication has a story behind it, reflecting the variety and wealth of products that our continent has to offer. My services and I will continue to look into ways to strengthen geographical indications, having shown their added-value for producers and consumers alike.

The Executive Director of the EUIPO, Christian Archambeau, said:
GIs not only guarantee quality, but also create value and support jobs across our Union. They are an important IP right which help to sustain our Europeans traditions, heritage and way of life. As well as assisting users of the EU IP system, we hope that GIview will also help citizens gain a greater awareness of the GI protection system in the EU, and of the contribution of GIs to our economy.

GIview contains data such as GI type (PDO, PGI, GI), priority date, legal status, basis of protection in relation to all GIs covering wines, spirit drinks and aromatised wines, agricultural products and foodstuffs protected at EU level. A special feature of GIview is that it is made open to national authorities and to producer groups to upload extended data, such as the contact data of the GI producer groups and control bodies, maps, photographs of the product, product description, the geographical area, sustainability statements, and other information. This is designed both to maximize information about GIs, and to directly assist anti-fraud authorities who will easily see the descriptions and photos of genuine product and be able to directly contact the concerned authorities and the producer group of the genuine product in case of an investigation.

Watch the video

Key debate ahead of decisive EU summit

At 9.00, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will open a debate on the main topics on the agenda of the European Council meeting on 10-11 December. These include the distribution of vaccines to stop the pandemic, the long-term budget to kick-start recovery, binding carbon reduction targets, combatting terrorism and relations with Turkey.

Michaela FINDEIS
(+32) 498 98 33 32
EuroParlPress

End violence against women

President Sassoli, Commissioner Dalli and political groups will make statements to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and assess the current situation. The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known as the Istanbul Convention, was signed by the EU in 2017 and has been ratified by all but six of its member states.

Nicolas DELALEU
(+32) 471 95 35 11
EP_GenderEqual

In brief

Abortion rights in Poland. MEPs will discuss the recent move by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal to effectively ban abortion that sparked ongoing protests, in a debate with Commissioner Dalli at around 16.00. A resolution will be put to the vote on Thursday.

Votes

Voting will take place between 13.00 and 14.15; first results will be announced at 16.45. The second voting session starts at 20.00 and lasts until 21.15, with results announced on Thursday morning at 8.30.

MEPs will have final votes, among other things, on:

• strengthening media freedom in the EU;
• ideas for more sustainable consumer policies;
• a new industrial strategy for Europe;
• product safety in the single market;
• stocktake of the 2019 European elections; and
• three objections (rule 112) tabled by the Environment Committee.

During the lockdown of the first COVID-19 wave, police, women’s shelters and non-governmental organisations reported a surge in domestic violence, especially targeting women. The second wave and associated lockdown are likely to see similar patterns with women at increased risk of domestic violence.

Even as people emerge from lockdowns, challenges remain. Loss of earnings and jobs are likely to provoke further harassment and violence.

Economic dependency may lead some women to remain trapped in abusive relationships, unable to leave.

FRA’s EU-wide survey on violence against women shows that nearly 1 in 3 women who find it difficult to make ends meet experienced intimate partner violence. This compares with almost 1 in 5 women who do not struggle to make ends meet.

Throughout the pandemic, many EU countries were quick to act. They established counselling support and sheltered victims in hotel rooms. At the same time, they launched awareness campaigns promoting hotline numbers.

While this was welcomed, it also highlighted inadequacies that remain.

The Council of Europe’s landmark Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence is already in its sixth year. The EU said it will accede to it and 21 EU Member States have signed it. The others should follow suit.

The Convention provides a clear roadmap on what the EU and its Member States need to do. It is a launchpad for further action to end this widespread human rights abuse.

The European Commission’s proposal to add violence against women on the list of EU crimes adds further weight to the drive to end such violence.

It is now high time for governments to act. The police, justice and health sectors need to work together to prevent violence and support victims.

This requires adequate resources and relevant training. It requires urgent action if we are to bolster measures to end violence against women.

​On International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, local and regional leaders call for legislative measures and adequate resources to prevent and combat violence against women

Wednesday 25 November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. On this occasion, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has reiterated its call to adopt legislative measures at EU level to prevent and combat all forms of violence against women and girls. According to the United Nation database by September 2020, 48 countries had integrated prevention and response to violence against women and girls into their COVID-19 response plans, and 121 countries had adopted measures to strengthen services for women survivors of violence during the global crisis.

In her opening statement to the members of the CoR’s SEDEC Commission, SEDEC Chair Anne Karjalainen (FI/PES) said: “Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations across the world. On this very special day, may I invite you all, in your role as local and regional politicians, to remain very vigilant, bearing in mind that violence against women remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it. The only way forward is to adopt a zero tolerance policy for violence against women and girls.”

One in 3 women and girls experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, daily 137 women are killed by a member of their family, 1 in 10 women in the European Union report having experienced cyber-harassment since the age of 15 and 71% of all human trafficking victims worldwide are women and girls.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging data and reports from those on the front lines have shown that all types of violence against women and girls have intensified. Anne Karjalainen underlines: “25 years after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration, we see women’s rights still coming under attack everywhere in the world, but also within the European Union, from sexual and reproductive rights to work-life balance and from the right to protest to economic and political empowerment. As European Committee of the Regions, we strongly condemn these violations of women’s rights and we will work together with local and regional authorities to ensure that these rights are protected and strengthened everywhere in the EU.”​

​While COVID-19 and lockdown measures stop the spread of the coronavirus, they have intensified violence against women, especially domestic violence – in some countries, calls to helplines have increased five-fold. The CoR’s Regional and Local Barometer 2020 – presented on 12 October – highlights a rise in the number of reported cases of domestic violence during the lockdown, though no comparable EU-wide data set is yet available. Some countries, such as Lithuania, observed 20% more domestic violence over a three-week lockdown period. In Spain, the emergency number for domestic violence received 18% more calls in the first two weeks of lockdown. Regional authorities in Spain shared an action guide for women suffering gender violence while staying at home. The city of Amsterdam in coordination with the national government set up a system in which victims of domestic violence were able to reach out to their pharmacy by using the code words ‘mask 19’.​

Concha Andreu (ES/PES), President of La Rioja Region and CoR rapporteur on the EU’s Gender Equality Strategy, said: “This year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is bleaker since we are confronted with aggravated cases of gender-based violence due to the lockdowns resulting from the COVID-19 crisis. Local and regional authorities urgently need to be endowed with adequate resources to effectively assist victims through appropriate support services. What is more, they must be involved in a structured way in the EU network on the prevention of gender-based violence and domestic violence that will be launched as part of the Gender Equality Strategy.”

“The CoR opinion on the Gender Equality Strategy invites the Commission to adopt legislative measures aimed at preventing and combating violence against women that are consistent and complementary to international and Member State legislation, and that address all forms of violence, including online violence and violence related to honour issues. It urges the European Commission to include all forms of violence against women and girls in the ‘Eurocrimes’ set out in Article 83 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,” added Andreu.

Background:

The United Nations General Assembly has designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Resolution 54/134). The premise of the day is to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence. For 2014, the official Theme framed by the UN Secretary-General’s campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women, is Orange your Neighbourhood. For 2018, the official theme is “Orange the World: #HearMeToo” and for 2019 it is “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands Against Rape”. This year’s theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!”. Like in previous years, this year’s International Day will mark the launch of 16 days of activism that will conclude on 10 December 2020, which is International Human Rights Day.

Contact:

Lauri Ouvinen

Tel. +32 473536887

lauri.ouvinen@cor.europa.eu

Wioletta Wojewodzka

Tel. +32 473843986

wioletta.wojewodzka@cor.europa.eu