The pie of Napadeni, dwarf force-meat cabbage rolls from the village of Lalova or goat cheese from the North are just a few of the products that could be registered as Geographical Indications (GIs), Appellations of Origin (AO) or Traditional Specialties Guaranteed (TSG) in the Republic Moldova. These have been identified in a National Study conducted in the framework of the EU-funded project “Support to Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights”.

The findings of the study were presented by the expert Anatolie Fala, on November 16, at the International Innovation Conference “Intellectual Property - Innovations - Quality of Life”.

Thus, the smallest force-meat cabbage rolls in the country we meet in the district of Rezina, namely in the village of Lalova. Prepared in pickled cabbage leaves or in the smallest vine leaves, the force-meat cabbage rolls have a filling of rice and wheat grits made on the grinder, as is the local tradition. “The chopped onion and the grated carrot are fried a little in oil, together with bell pepper paste. If the pickled cabbage is too sour, we keep it in cold water for a while. We choose the youngest, smallest vine leaves, wash them, dry them well on the cloth and put them in layers in dry glass jars, to keep them fresh. We also make cabbage rolls with meat, most often pork,” tells Emilia Hanganu for the regional newspaper “Cuvantul”.

And the goat cheese from the north of Moldova, also called “Magura Cheese”, is a natural product obtained from goat milk on the farm in the village of Slobozia Magura (Sangerei district), located near the Magura hillock, where the name of the product comes from. The cheese is obtained from a traditional recipe for hundreds of years.

The dwarf force-meat cabbage rolls and Magura cheese are just some of the 61 products and handicraft objects with potential to be registered under GI, AO and TSG identified in the study. Among them we can mention: Cold Pie of Serpeni, Bride Pie from the village of Crocmaz (Stefan Voda district), Sausage of Domulgeni, Pickled Cucumbers of Colibasi, Rosehip of Taul, Strawberries from Sadova, Gagauz Carpet from the village of Gaidar, Ceramics of Iurceni and the list can continue.

“Moldova’s agro-industrial patrimony is unfortunately not fully used and exploited. However, local products which could be promoted under PGIs, PAO or recognized as TSG would allow of creating through their uniqueness and flavor a high added value in the national agro-industrial sector and would also increase their production and also export capacities on foreign markets,” considers Anatolie Fala.

In order to be registered under the PGI symbol, the product must comply with the following rules provided by the legislation: originate in a region or locality; have a specific quality, reputation and other characteristics attributable to a geographical origin and production shall take place in the defined geographical area.

According to Anatolie Fala, a product promoted under the PGI, PAO or TSG symbols guarantees that the registered name is protected against unauthorized use throughout the EU and increases the producers’ incomes. And for consumers, these titles offer guarantees of origin, uniqueness, quality and tradition of production.

The following Protected Geographical Indications and Protected Appellations of Origin are registered in Moldova: PGI Divin; PGI Stefan Voda, Valul lui Traian and Codru for wines; PGI Zabriceni for dried plants and fruits and mixtures thereof; PGI Rose Petal Jam Calarasi; PGI Apricot Brandy of Nimoreni; PAO Ciumai for red sweet dessert and natural red dry wine; PAO Romanesti for red wine and PAO Cheese of Popeasca.

The EuropeAid/137467/DH/SER/MD Technical Assistance Project “Support to Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights” was launched in November 2016, with a two-year implementation period, one of the core objectives being to improve the geographical indications system in the Republic of Moldova.