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Only Greeks can call cheese feta
11 May 2005
BRUSSELS: Greece should have the exclusive right to call its cheese feta, the legal adviser to the European Union's top court said on Tuesday, recommending it dismiss a joint appeal by Denmark and Germany.
The European Commission decided in 2002 that feta cheese could be called feta only if it was made in certain parts of Greece, giving the product the same kind of protection as parma ham and champagne.
The move angered Denmark, the best-known maker of feta after Greece, and Germany, which asked the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to annul the Commission's decision, arguing that feta was a generic term for the salty cheese.
But ECJ Advocate-General Damaso Ruiz-Jarabo Colomer said feta could not be considered a generic name, but should be regarded as a traditional name for the cheese originating in Greece.
"Feta is linked with a large part of Greece historically and at the present time," the Luxembourg-based court said in a statement.
"Advocate General Ruiz-Jarabo proposes that the Court of Justice dismiss the actions brought by Germany and Denmark."
The adviser's opinion is not binding, but the court follows his advice in some 80 per cent of cases.
The opinion is a victory for Greece, where the soft white cheese is believed to have been produced for around 6000 years. Athens has campaigned since 1994 for geographical protection for feta, which is made of a blend of sheep and goat's milk.
http://www.stuff.co....93a4560,00.html
11 May 2005
BRUSSELS: Greece should have the exclusive right to call its cheese feta, the legal adviser to the European Union's top court said on Tuesday, recommending it dismiss a joint appeal by Denmark and Germany.
The European Commission decided in 2002 that feta cheese could be called feta only if it was made in certain parts of Greece, giving the product the same kind of protection as parma ham and champagne.
The move angered Denmark, the best-known maker of feta after Greece, and Germany, which asked the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to annul the Commission's decision, arguing that feta was a generic term for the salty cheese.
But ECJ Advocate-General Damaso Ruiz-Jarabo Colomer said feta could not be considered a generic name, but should be regarded as a traditional name for the cheese originating in Greece.
"Feta is linked with a large part of Greece historically and at the present time," the Luxembourg-based court said in a statement.
"Advocate General Ruiz-Jarabo proposes that the Court of Justice dismiss the actions brought by Germany and Denmark."
The adviser's opinion is not binding, but the court follows his advice in some 80 per cent of cases.
The opinion is a victory for Greece, where the soft white cheese is believed to have been produced for around 6000 years. Athens has campaigned since 1994 for geographical protection for feta, which is made of a blend of sheep and goat's milk.
http://www.stuff.co....93a4560,00.html
Everyone loves the European Union. When they're not begging the UK to switch to Euros, they're copyrighting cheese.
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