During the period 5-8 May 2025, the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) hosted the working visit of the European expert in the field of geographical indications (GIs), Dariusz Goszczyński, from Poland, organized with the support of the Moldovan-Swiss Intellectual Property Project (MSIP).

The purpose of the visit was to strengthen the institutional capacities of the authorities of the Republic of Moldova in order to align the national legislation in the field of GIs with the regulations and standards of the European Union, thus supporting the process of integrating the country into the European legal space of intellectual property.

During the visit, the European expert and AGEPI specialists conducted joint exercises of comparative analysis of national legislation with European regulations, in order to identify the necessary measures for harmonization.

On May 6, a roundtable was held dedicated to consulting the draft Law on Geographical Indications, Traditional Specialties Guaranteed and Optional Quality Terms, with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, the National Vine and Wine Office and the National Agency for Food Safety.

During the discussions, special attention was paid to the stages of registration and protection of geographical indications and appellations of origin in the Republic of Moldova, as well as to aspects related to the enforcement of intellectual property rights in this area.

The visit ended with the development of a report with recommendations for improving the national normative framework and the efficient implementation of regulations in the field of GIs, in order to align it with European standards. The conclusions formulated will contribute to strengthening the system of protection and promotion of products with geographical indication from the Republic of Moldova, facilitating their access to European markets.

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It is worth noting that the Moldovan-Swiss Intellectual Property Project (MSIP) is funded by the Swiss Government through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of Switzerland and implemented by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI), in close cooperation with the State Agency on Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova (AGEPI).

The overall objective of the project is the socio-economic development of the Republic of Moldova through more efficient use of intellectual property rights (IPRs) and by supporting the government in providing quality services in this area.

The project activities are focused on three key objectives:

• Legal Support and technical assistance around Geographical Indications system;
• Enforcement of intellectual property rights;
• Commercialisation of intellectual property and support to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).

The MSIP Project was launched on 24 September 2024 and will be implemented over a period of 3 years.