The foundation of geographical indications (GIs), whom this special issue of Economia Agro-Alimentare is dedicated to, is the Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 for the protection of Geographical Indications and Designations of Origin for Agricultural Products and Foodstuffs, which stemmed from the French legal system. Since the 1990s, many European regulations (2081/1992, 1107/1996, 510/2006, 509/ 2006, 628/2008, 110/2008, 1151/2012) have mentioned this protection tool, demonstrating an incessant trend of development (Josling 2006). Thanks to the leading role of the European Union in promoting GIs both through vivid negotiation activities at the international level as well as through the promotion of technical assistance programs, there are now more than 80 countries that have adopted specific registration systems for GIs and the trend towards the adoption of the sui generis protection system does not seem to be stopping soon (Insight Consulting REDD 2013). However, although the discussion on GIs is increasingly occupying the agenda of a large number of international forums (WTO, WIPO, etc.), the literature focused on the development of these certification schemes beyond European borders is quite scarce and traditionally addressed by examining the effect of GIs as a non-tariff trade barrier for developing and emerging economies (Kleinwechter/Grethe 2006). In contrast, several recent development economic studies emphasize the possibilities offered by this protection system in terms of export support for countries that are not competitive on the world commodity market (Correa 2002, Profeta et al. 2010). From an international perspective, it is plausible that product differentiation through geographical indications is of interest for small producers that want to penetrate developed consumer markets. This explains the increasing number of bilateral and plurilateral agreements with third-countries that include provisions for the protection of GIs (Insight Consulting REDD 2013). Hence, this special issue of Economia Agro-Alimentare aims at catching the multidimensionality of the GIs phenomenon, creating distance from the traditional Eurocentric viewpoint by dedicating three contributions to the topic of GIs outside of European borders. The article by Andrea Cristina Dörr, Sabrina Cantarelli Almeida, Jaqueline Carla Guse and Marivane Vestena Rossato “Local players’ perceptions of geographical indications: a case study of pelotas sweets in southern Brazil” examines the market of Pelotas sweets, which recently gained the protection as GI. Hence, the article focuses on the repertoire of valorization strategies that are employed by the different actors (producer associations, NGOs, politicians, etc.) to promote the economic importance of the product for the local community, thereby increasing the identification of the region with the product. The work of Ivana Radic and Maurizio Canavari “Preferences and willingness to pay of Vienna consumers for raspberries from Arilje, Serbia” is set in the traditional approach of the institutional economic analysis of governance elements that support a label (Caswell/Padberg 1992, Golan et al. 2000). In order to investigate the GI success of Serbian raspberries from Arilje among Austrian consumers from Vienna, the authors measure the perceived benefit of each attribute using a discrete choice experiment. Not only do the authors find that Vienna consumers disclose a positive attitude towards GIs, but there are also some interesting possibilities of cross-promotion with the organic labels. The article by Verena Otter, Bianca Prechtel and Ludwig Theuvsein “The Country-of-Origin Effect for Chocolate from Ecuadorian Cocoa: An Empirical Analysis of Consumer Perceptions” investigates the potential for country of origin indication on cacao as a means of product differentiation for Ecuadorian cacao producers. The authors survey a panel of cacao consumers in Germany, the country with the highest consumption share of cacao in Europe. The findings detect a positive impact for the indication of provenance of Ecuadorian cacao on German consumers’ perceived quality, backing the efforts of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Agriculture in the application procedure for GI of a rare type of cacao (i.e., Cacao Arriba) (Vandecandelaere et al., 2009). Another less explored approach in the study of GIs is the protection of goods other than food. In fact, although the protection of GIs covers mostly food specialties, the system also envisages plant and animal species. In fact, the negotiations at WTO are going even further, increasingly addressing handicrafts as well (Insight Consulting REDD 2013). Against this background, the paper by Michael Schulte, Hagen Brandt and Ludwig Theuvsen “Christmas tree production in Germany: strategies and options for establishing a regional label: is there room for a geographical indication?” focuses on Christmas trees, where Germany is the most important country in the production and consumption at the European level. The authors offer a detailed analysis of the level of competition that affect German Christmas trees producers and conclude that protection via geographical indications could be supportive for some of them either alone or jointly with other differentiation tools such as state-led or voluntary certification schemes. Finally, a last strand of research within this special issue regards the concept of cultural heritage (and its propertization or commodification) that generally characterizes the interface between culture and economics. Is the adoption of a holistic cultural concept useful to study cultural differences? What methodological approach is suitable for understanding which cultural manifestations need protection? The work by Edgardo I. Garrido-Pérez and Katia Laura Sidali “Salsa, sauce, and other ingredients: nature, evolution and conservation of cultural heritage” aims at identifying six ways that evolutionary biology research can enrich and deepen contemporary understandings of cultural heritage.

Guest Editorial

Sidali, Katia Laura
;
2014-01-01

Abstract

The foundation of geographical indications (GIs), whom this special issue of Economia Agro-Alimentare is dedicated to, is the Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 for the protection of Geographical Indications and Designations of Origin for Agricultural Products and Foodstuffs, which stemmed from the French legal system. Since the 1990s, many European regulations (2081/1992, 1107/1996, 510/2006, 509/ 2006, 628/2008, 110/2008, 1151/2012) have mentioned this protection tool, demonstrating an incessant trend of development (Josling 2006). Thanks to the leading role of the European Union in promoting GIs both through vivid negotiation activities at the international level as well as through the promotion of technical assistance programs, there are now more than 80 countries that have adopted specific registration systems for GIs and the trend towards the adoption of the sui generis protection system does not seem to be stopping soon (Insight Consulting REDD 2013). However, although the discussion on GIs is increasingly occupying the agenda of a large number of international forums (WTO, WIPO, etc.), the literature focused on the development of these certification schemes beyond European borders is quite scarce and traditionally addressed by examining the effect of GIs as a non-tariff trade barrier for developing and emerging economies (Kleinwechter/Grethe 2006). In contrast, several recent development economic studies emphasize the possibilities offered by this protection system in terms of export support for countries that are not competitive on the world commodity market (Correa 2002, Profeta et al. 2010). From an international perspective, it is plausible that product differentiation through geographical indications is of interest for small producers that want to penetrate developed consumer markets. This explains the increasing number of bilateral and plurilateral agreements with third-countries that include provisions for the protection of GIs (Insight Consulting REDD 2013). Hence, this special issue of Economia Agro-Alimentare aims at catching the multidimensionality of the GIs phenomenon, creating distance from the traditional Eurocentric viewpoint by dedicating three contributions to the topic of GIs outside of European borders. The article by Andrea Cristina Dörr, Sabrina Cantarelli Almeida, Jaqueline Carla Guse and Marivane Vestena Rossato “Local players’ perceptions of geographical indications: a case study of pelotas sweets in southern Brazil” examines the market of Pelotas sweets, which recently gained the protection as GI. Hence, the article focuses on the repertoire of valorization strategies that are employed by the different actors (producer associations, NGOs, politicians, etc.) to promote the economic importance of the product for the local community, thereby increasing the identification of the region with the product. The work of Ivana Radic and Maurizio Canavari “Preferences and willingness to pay of Vienna consumers for raspberries from Arilje, Serbia” is set in the traditional approach of the institutional economic analysis of governance elements that support a label (Caswell/Padberg 1992, Golan et al. 2000). In order to investigate the GI success of Serbian raspberries from Arilje among Austrian consumers from Vienna, the authors measure the perceived benefit of each attribute using a discrete choice experiment. Not only do the authors find that Vienna consumers disclose a positive attitude towards GIs, but there are also some interesting possibilities of cross-promotion with the organic labels. The article by Verena Otter, Bianca Prechtel and Ludwig Theuvsein “The Country-of-Origin Effect for Chocolate from Ecuadorian Cocoa: An Empirical Analysis of Consumer Perceptions” investigates the potential for country of origin indication on cacao as a means of product differentiation for Ecuadorian cacao producers. The authors survey a panel of cacao consumers in Germany, the country with the highest consumption share of cacao in Europe. The findings detect a positive impact for the indication of provenance of Ecuadorian cacao on German consumers’ perceived quality, backing the efforts of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Agriculture in the application procedure for GI of a rare type of cacao (i.e., Cacao Arriba) (Vandecandelaere et al., 2009). Another less explored approach in the study of GIs is the protection of goods other than food. In fact, although the protection of GIs covers mostly food specialties, the system also envisages plant and animal species. In fact, the negotiations at WTO are going even further, increasingly addressing handicrafts as well (Insight Consulting REDD 2013). Against this background, the paper by Michael Schulte, Hagen Brandt and Ludwig Theuvsen “Christmas tree production in Germany: strategies and options for establishing a regional label: is there room for a geographical indication?” focuses on Christmas trees, where Germany is the most important country in the production and consumption at the European level. The authors offer a detailed analysis of the level of competition that affect German Christmas trees producers and conclude that protection via geographical indications could be supportive for some of them either alone or jointly with other differentiation tools such as state-led or voluntary certification schemes. Finally, a last strand of research within this special issue regards the concept of cultural heritage (and its propertization or commodification) that generally characterizes the interface between culture and economics. Is the adoption of a holistic cultural concept useful to study cultural differences? What methodological approach is suitable for understanding which cultural manifestations need protection? The work by Edgardo I. Garrido-Pérez and Katia Laura Sidali “Salsa, sauce, and other ingredients: nature, evolution and conservation of cultural heritage” aims at identifying six ways that evolutionary biology research can enrich and deepen contemporary understandings of cultural heritage.
2014
cultural heritage, food specialities, geographical indications, food marketing, food certification
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