Dobrogean pie is Romanian. After two years of disputes, Romania wins European recognition over Bulgaria

Romania wins against Bulgaria the European recognition with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) of the product “Plăcintă Dobrogeană”, after almost two years of “determined and sustained opposition” from the neighbors south of the Danube.

Thus, Romania will receive European recognition by registering the product “Plăcintă Dobrogeană PGI” and publishing it in the Official Journal of the European Union, with all rights, for an unlimited period.

“Bulgaria’s opposition is based on the common history of the Dobrogea region, which also included a territory from Bulgaria, and our neighbors have made a determined and sustained opposition for almost two years,” Ionuţ Diaconeasa, adviser at the Ministry of Agriculture, told Agerpres.

He specified that Bulgaria will receive the right to use the name, but only at a local level, in the region south of Constanța county and without PGI recognition, with Cyrillic or Latin characters “Dobrudzhanka banitsa” for a period of 10 years, although initially requested 15 years.

Also, the Bulgarian neighbors will not be able to export the product with the name translated into Romanian as “Plăcintă Dobrogeană”.

The steps for the European recognition of this product with PGI began in 2017, and in 2018 the documentation was submitted to obtain the European recognition of the product. In April 2019, the national opposition filed by SC Dobrogea SA ended, and the file was sent to the EC in the electronic system ‘eAmbrosia’ in May 2019. The request was published in the Official Journal of the EU in February 2021, after which Bulgaria submitted a motivated statement by opposition. Starting from July 2021, the EC invited the opponent and the applicant to start consultations.

Romania has up to now recognized on European quality systems 10 products, of which nine with PGI, respectively: Topoloveni plum jam, Sibiu salami, smoked Novac from Ţara Bârsei, smoked Danube crumb, Pleșcoi sausage, Sibiu Telemea, Săveni cheese, pike roe salad from Tulcea, traditional carp roe salad, and one, Telemeaua from Ibăneşti, with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

At the same time, at the European level, spirits are also registered, respectively from the fruit brandy category (Pălincă, Tuică Zetea de Medieșu Aurit, Ţuica de Argeş, Horincă de Câmârzana) and from the wine brandy category (Vinars Târnave, Vinars Vaslui, Vinars Murfatlar, Vinars Vrancea, Vinars Segarcea). At the MADR level, specific actions aimed at registering the product “Pelin” produced in the category of flavored drinks, according to European quality systems, are underway.

Seven other products submitted for registration are in an advanced phase: Salinate de Turda (neck, cutlet, pork breast and pork leg) – PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) – on 15.12.2021, the documentation was submitted to the European Commission necessary; Pita de Pecica (Protected Geographical Indication) – on 22.12.2021, Romania’s application for acquiring protection on the Protected Geographical Indication quality system was registered in the electronic system ‘eAmbrosia’.

Publisher: GM

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