Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1955 of 29 September 2025 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of geographical indications for craft and industrial products

• CELEX: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1955
• Articles: 15

Article 1 Documentation accompanying the application for registration

1.   Contact details of the applicant required under Article 11(1), point (a), and the contact details of the competent authority, certification body or natural person required under Article 11(1), point (b), of Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 shall include:

(a)

an address;

(b)

a telephone number; and

(c)

an email address.

2.   Where contact details referred to in paragraph 1 relate to a natural person, the processing of personal data shall be carried out in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council  ( 3 ) and serve the following purposes:

(a)

administering the applications and/or registrations as described in Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 and in acts adopted pursuant to it;

(b)

accessing the information necessary for conducting the proceedings more easily and efficiently;

(c)

communicating with the applicants and other parties to the proceedings, including the interveners;

(d)

producing reports and statistics enabling the Office to optimise its operations and improve the functioning of the system.

3.   Where the applicant is a natural person, the nationality shall be indicated in the documentation accompanying the application for registration.

4.   If a local or regional authority or a private entity was designated as the applicant by the Member State in accordance with Article 8(4) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2411, the reasons of such designation shall be indicated on a separate document within the accompanying documentation. The reasons shall include a reference to the national law or administrative decision on the designation. Justification has to be particular to an individual application.

Article 2 Admissibility of the application for registration at Union level

1.   For admissibility, in addition to the requirements set out in Article 3 and 8 and Article 22(1) or Article 20(1) and Article 22(2) or Article 22(3), as applicable, and Article 22(6) and Article 65(3) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2411, an application for registration shall comply with Article 3, Article 7(1), Article 8 in the case of direct registrations and third-country applications and Articles 9 to 12 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1956  ( 4 ) .

2.   For admissibility, in addition to the requirements set out in Article 22(4) and (5) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2411, a joint application for registration shall comply with Article 6(1), (2) or (3) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1956 and paragraph 1 of this Article.

3.   If an application is inadmissible, the Geographical Indication Division shall inform the competent authority and the applicant, as relevant, of the reasons for inadmissibility pursuant to Article 23(6) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2411.

Article 3 Notice of appeal

1.   A notice of appeal filed in accordance with Article 33(4) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 shall contain the following:

(a)

the name and address of the appellant and the Member State or third country in which that appellant resides or is established. Names of natural persons shall be indicated by the person’s family name(s) and given name(s). Names of legal entities, as well as bodies falling under Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 of the European Parliament and of the Council  ( 5 ) , shall be indicated by their official designation and include the legal form of the entity, which may be abbreviated in a customary manner. The company’s national identification number may also be specified if available. The Office may require the appellant to provide telephone numbers or other contact details for communication. Only one address shall, in principle, be indicated for each appellant. Where several addresses are indicated, only the address mentioned first shall be taken into account, except where the appellant designates one of the addresses as an address for service;

(b)

where the appellant has appointed a representative, the name and the business address of the representative; where the representative has more than one business address or where there are two or more representatives with different business addresses, only the first-mentioned address shall be taken into account as an address for service unless the notice of appeal indicates which address is to be used as an address for service;

(c)

a clear and unambiguous identification of the decision subject to appeal indicating the date on which it was issued and the file number of the proceedings to which the decision subject to appeal relates.

2.   The notice of appeal shall be filed in any of the official Union languages.

3.   As soon as the notice of appeal has been filed, the Board of Appeal shall notify it as applicable, to the defendant and to the competent authorities or single points of contact of the Member States where the defendant and the appellant reside or are established, in the official language as filed by the appellant, together with a verified machine translation of it, into the relevant official Union language of the respective Member States. In case the defendant resides or is established in a third country, the Board of Appeal shall notify the notice of appeal to the defendant or to the competent authority of the third country, as applicable, in the official language as filed, together with a verified machine translation of it, into the official Union language in which the first procedural step in the relevant proceedings before the Office was filed by the defendant.

Article 4 Statement of grounds

1.   A written statement setting out the grounds of appeal referred to in the Article 33(4), second subparagraph, of Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 shall contain a clear and unambiguous identification of the following:

(a)

the appeal proceedings to which it refers by indicating either the corresponding appeal number or the decision subject to appeal in accordance with the requirements laid down in Article 3 of this Regulation;

(b)

the grounds of appeal on which the annulment of the contested decision is requested;

(c)

the facts, evidence and arguments in support of the grounds invoked.

2.   The statement of grounds shall be filed in the same language as the notice of appeal.

3.   As soon as the notice of appeal has been found admissible, the Board of Appeal shall notify the statement of grounds to the defendant, to the competent authorities or single points of contact of the Member States where the defendant and the appellant reside or are established, in the official language as filed by the appellant, together with a verified machine translation of it, into the relevant official Union language of the respective Member States. In case the defendant resides or is established in a third country, the Board of Appeal shall notify the statement of grounds to the defendant or to the competent authority of the third country, as applicable, in the official language as filed, together with a verified machine translation of it, into the official Union language in which the first procedural step in the relevant proceedings before the Office was filed by the defendant.

Article 5 Admissibility of an appeal

1.   The Board of Appeal shall reject an appeal as inadmissible in any of the following events:

(a)

where the notice of appeal has not been filed within two months of the date of publication in the Union register, as provided for in Article 29(6) Regulation (EU) 2023/2411, of the decision subject to appeal;

(b)

where the appeal does not comply with Article 33(1) and (3) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2411, or with the requirements laid down in Article 3(1), point (c), and Article 4(2) of this Regulation, unless those deficiencies are remedied within four months of the date of publication in the Union register of the decision subject to appeal;

(c)

where the notice of appeal does not comply with the requirements laid down in Article 3(1), points (a), and (b), and the appellant has, despite having been informed thereof by the Board of Appeal, not remedied those deficiencies within the time limit specified by the Board of Appeal to that effect;

(d)

where the statement of grounds has not been filed within four months of the date of publication of the decision subject to appeal;

(e)

where the statement of grounds does not comply with the requirements laid down in Article 4(1), point (a) and (b), and the appellant has, despite having been informed thereof by the Board of Appeal, not remedied those deficiencies within the time limit specified by the Board of Appeal to that effect.

2.   Where the appeal appears to be inadmissible, the chairperson of the Board of Appeal to which the case has been allocated pursuant to Article 35(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/625 may request the Board of Appeal to decide without delay on the admissibility of the appeal prior to the notification to the defendant of the notice or of the statement of grounds, as the case may be.

3.   The Board of Appeal shall declare an appeal as deemed not to have been filed where the appeal fee has been paid after the expiry of the time limit set out in the first sentence of Article 33(4) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 and in the situation referred to in Article 30(4) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1956. In such cases, paragraph (2) of this Article shall apply.

Article 6 Response

1.   The defendant may file a response in any of the official Union languages within two months of the date of notification of the appellant’s statement of grounds. In exceptional circumstances, that time limit may be extended upon reasoned request by the defendant.

2.   The response shall contain the name and address of the defendant and shall comply, mutatis mutandis , with the conditions laid down in Article 3(1), points (b) and (c), and Article 4(1), points (a) and (c) of this Regulation.

3.   As soon as the response has been filed, the Board of Appeal shall notify it to the appellant and to the competent authorities or single points of contact of the Member States where the appellant and defendant reside or are established, in the official language as filed by the defendant, together with a verified machine translation of it, into the relevant official Union language of the respective Member States.

4.   Upon the appellant’s reasoned request filed within two weeks of the notification of the response and its translation, the Board of Appeal may authorise the appellant to supplement the statement of grounds by a reply within a period specified by the Board of Appeal.

5.   As soon as the supplementary reply has been filed, the Board of Appeal shall notify it to the defendant and the competent authorities or the single points of contact of the Member States, where the appellant and the defendant reside or are established, in the official language as filed by the appellant, together with a verified machine translation of it, into the relevant official Union language of the respective Member States.

6.   In case the Board of Appeal authorised the appellant to supplement the statement of grounds by a reply, the Board of Appeal shall also authorise the defendant to supplement the response by a rejoinder within a period specified by the Board of Appeal.

7.   As soon as the rejoinder has been filed, the Board of Appeal shall notify it to the appellant, the competent authorities or single points of contact of the Member States, where the appellant and the defendant reside or are established, in the official language as filed by the defendant, together with a verified machine translation of it, into the relevant official Union language of the respective Member States. In case the defendant or the appellant resides or is established in a third country, the Board of Appeal shall notify the response, the supplementary reply and the rejoinder to the appellant or to the defendant or to the competent authority of the third country, as applicable, in the official language as filed, together with a verified machine translation of these documents, into the official Union language in which the notice of appeal was filed by the appellant, or in which the response was filed by the defendant.

Article 7 Examination of the appeal

1.   The examination of the appeal shall be restricted to the grounds invoked in the statement of grounds. Matters of law not raised by the parties shall be examined by the Board of Appeal only where they concern essential procedural requirements or where it is necessary to resolve them to ensure a correct application of Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 having regard to the facts, evidence and arguments presented by the parties.

2.   The examination of the appeal shall only include claims or requests that have been raised in the statement of grounds of the appeal and that were raised in due time in the proceedings before the Geographical Indications Division.

3.   The Board of Appeal may accept facts or evidence submitted for the first time before it only where those facts or evidence meet the following requirements:

(a)

they are, on the face of it, likely to be relevant for the outcome of the case; and

(b)

they have not been produced in due time for valid reasons, in particular where they are merely supplementing relevant facts and evidence which had already been submitted in due time, or are filed to contest findings made or examined by the first instance of its own motion in the decision subject to appeal.

4.   If the Board of Appeal decide to consult the Advisory Board during the appeal procedure as referred to in Article 33(5) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2411, the defendant and the appellant and the competent authorities or the single points of contact of the Member State where the appellant and the defendant reside or are established, shall be notified through the digital system, of such consultation. The Board of Appeal, together with the notification of such consultation, shall provide them with a verified machine translation into the relevant official Union language of the respective Member States.

5.   The Board of Appeal shall notify the defendant and the appellant and the competent authorities or the single points of contact of the Member State where the appellant and the defendant reside or are established, through the digital system, of the opinion of the Advisory Board. The Board of Appeal, together with the opinion of the Advisory Board, shall provide them with a verified machine translation into the relevant official Union language of the respective Member States.

6.   In case the appellant or the defendant resides or is established in a third country, the Board of Appeal shall notify the information about the consultations and the opinion of the Advisory Board to the appellant and to the defendant or to the competent authorities of the third country, as applicable, together with verified machine translations, into the official Union language in which the notice of appeal was filed by the appellant or in which the response was filed by the defendant. In case the defendant did not file a response, translations will be provided in the language in which the first procedural step in the relevant proceedings before the Office was filed by the defendant.

Article 8 Joining the appeal

1.   A Member State, represented by its competent authority or its single point of contact referred to in Article 12 and Article 19(5), respectively, of Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 (the ‘intervener’), may join the appeal.

2.   The intervention shall be ancillary to the main proceedings and shall be limited to supporting, in whole or in part, the form of order sought by the main party or one of the main parties. It shall not confer the same procedural rights as those conferred on the main parties. It shall become devoid of purpose as a result of a main party’s discontinuance or withdrawal from the proceedings or of an agreement between the main parties, or where the appeal is declared inadmissible. The Member State shall accept the case as it finds it at the time of its intervention.

3.   The intervention request shall be notified to the Board of Appeal in any of the official Union languages within four months after the information on the appeal being filed is published in the Union register. A notification for intervention made after the expiry of this time limit shall be ineffective. The request shall identify a party that the intervener will support. The application to intervene shall contain:

(a)

a clear identification of the appeal case;

(b)

the name and address of the applicant for leave to intervene;

(c)

particulars of the status and address of the representative of the applicant for leave to intervene, where applicable;

(d)

the form of order sought in support of which the applicant for leave to intervene is applying for leave to intervene.

4.   As soon as the intervention request is filed, the Board of Appeal shall notify it to the appellant, the defendant, the competent authorities or single points of contact of the Member States where the appellant and the defendant reside or are established as well as to the other interveners, in the official language as filed by the intervener, together with a verified machine translation of it, into the relevant official Union language of the respective Member States.

5.   The Board of Appeal shall provide the intervener, without delay, every procedural documents served on the parties, together with a verified machine translation into the relevant official Union language of the intervener.

6.   The intervener may submit a statement in intervention within the time limit prescribed by the Board of Appeal. Such statement shall contain:

(a)

the form of order sought by the intervener in support, in whole or in part, of the form of order sought by one of the main parties;

(b)

the pleas in law and arguments relied on by the intervener; and

(c)

where appropriate, any evidence produced or offered.

7.   After the statement in intervention has been submitted, the Board of Appeal shall prescribe a time limit within which the parties may reply to that statement. The parties shall be given the possibility to reply to such statement in any of the official Union languages.

8.   As soon as the statement of intervention and replies are filed, the Board of Appeal shall notify them to the appellant, the defendant, the competent authorities or single points of contact of the Member States where the appellant and the defendant reside or are established as well as to the other interveners, in the official language as filed by the intervener, together with a verified machine translation of these documents, into the relevant official Union language of the respective Member States.

9.   In case the appellant or the defendant resides or is established in a third country, the Board of Appeal shall notify the statement of intervention and the replies to the appellant or to the defendant or to the competent authorities of the third country where they reside or are established, as applicable together with verified machine translations, into the official Union language in which the notice of appeal was filed by the appellant or in which the response was filed by the defendant. In case the defendant did not file a response, translations will be provided in the language in which the first procedural step in the relevant proceedings before the Office was filed by the defendant.

Article 9 Formal content of the Board of Appeal’s decision

The Board of Appeal’s decision shall contain:

(a)

a statement that it is delivered by the Board of Appeal;

(b)

the date when the decision was taken;

(c)

the names of the parties and interveners and, where applicable, the names of the representatives of the parties and interveners;

(d)

the number of the appeal to which it refers and an identification of the decision subject to appeal in accordance with the requirements laid down in Article 3(1), point (c);

(e)

an indication as to the formation of the Board of Appeal;

(f)

the name of the chairperson and members who took part in the decision, including an indication of who acted as rapporteur in the case;

(g)

the name of the Registrar or, as the case may be, of the member of the Registry signing on the Registrar’s behalf;

(h)

a summary of the facts and of the arguments submitted by the parties and the interveners;

(i)

a statement of the reasons for which the decision has been taken;

(j)

the order of the Board of Appeal,

(k)

in case the Advisory Board was consulted, the number, the date and the summary of the opinion.

Article 10 Exemption from the translation obligation in the appeal

1.   The competent authority or the single point of contact of a Member State may request the Board of Appeal, through a dedicated functional mailbox, not to provide the translations referred to in Article 3(3), Article 4(3), Article 6(3), (5) and (7), Article 7(4) and (5) and Article 8(4), (5) and (8) of this Regulation. Such request shall be submitted before 1 May 2026. In the request, the Member State shall indicate clearly by reference to the relevant articles the translations it does not wish to receive.

2.   The request for exemption referred to in paragraph 1 may be wholly or partially withdrawn anytime, in the same way as described in that paragraph.

Article 11 Additional rules on appeal

Articles 25, 28, 29 and 31 and Articles 34 to 48 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/625 shall apply mutatis mutandis .

Article 12 Calculation and duration of time limits

1.   The calculation of a time limit shall start on the day following the day on which the relevant event occurred, either a procedural step or the expiry of another time limit. Where that procedural step is a notification, the relevant event shall be the date on which the document is notified or deemed notified. A notification performed through the digital system is deemed to have been notified on the fifth calendar day following the day on which the document is placed in the account user’s inbox of the digital system.

2.   Where a time limit is expressed as one year or a certain number of years, it shall expire on the relevant subsequent year in the month having the same name and on the day having the same number as the month and the day on which the relevant event occurred. Where the relevant month has no day with the same number, the time limit shall expire on the last day of that month.

3.   Where a time limit is expressed as one month or a certain number of months, it shall expire on the relevant subsequent month on the day which has the same number as the day on which the relevant event occurred. Where the relevant subsequent month has no day with the same number, the time limit shall expire on the last day of that month.

4.   Where a time limit is expressed as one week or a certain number of weeks, it shall expire on the relevant subsequent week on the day having the same name as the day on which the said event occurred.

Article 13 Time limits

1.   If a time limit is not expressly specified in Regulation (EU) 2023/2411, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1956 or this Regulation, the Office will specify the time limit. The time limits specified by the Office may not be shorter than one month or longer than six months.

2.   Subject to the time limits laid down in Regulation (EU) 2023/2411, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1956 or this Regulation, the Office may grant an extension of a time limit upon reasoned request. Such request shall be submitted by the party concerned before the time limit in question expires. Where there are two or more parties, the Office may subject the extension of a time limit to the agreement of the other parties.

Article 14 Expiry of time limits

1.   Where a time limit expires on a day on which the Office is not open, the time limit shall be extended until the first day thereafter on which the Office is open.

2.   Where a time limit expires on a day on which there is a general interruption of electronic communication, the time limit shall be extended until the first day thereafter on which the electronic communication is restored.

Article 15 Entry into force and application

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and shall apply from 1 December 2025.