Attestation of compliance with the product specification
Article 45
1. An operator whose product, following the verification of compliance referred to in Article 39 of this Regulation and Article 116a of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, is found to comply with the product specification of a geographical indication protected in accordance with this Regulation shall, on request, and depending on the system applied in the Member State concerned, be entitled to either: (a) an attestation, including by digital means, which may be a certified copy, certifying compliance of its production with the product specification; or (b) inclusion in a list of approved operators established by the competent authority, such as the list provided for in Article 39(1) of this Regulation or Article 116a of Regulation No 1308/2013, as applicable. The relevant extract of the list (‘listing’) shall be made available online to each approved operator. 2. The attestation of compliance and the listing referred to in paragraph 1, points (a) and (b), respectively, shall be made available on request to enforcement authorities, customs or other authorities in the Union engaged in verifying the use of geographical indications on goods declared for free circulation or placed on the internal market. The operator may make the attestation or the listing available to the public or to any person who may request proof of compliance in the course of business. That attestation and listing shall be updated periodically, based on a risk assessment. 3. An operator that is no longer accorded the attestation of compliance or that has been removed from the list shall not be allowed to continue to display or use the attestation of compliance or the listing. 4. The Commission shall, by means of implementing acts, lay down detailed rules on the form and content of the attestation of compliance and listing, the forms in which they are to be made available by the operators or traders for control or in the course of business, as well as on the circumstances under which, and the forms in which, an equivalent attestation is required in the case of products originating in third countries. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 88(2).