On Wednesday (21/2), the General Court of the European Union decided to reject in its entirety the appeal by Papouis Dairies and other companies against the registration of the name "Halloumi" as a protected designation of origin (PDO). As a reminder, in April 2021, the European Commission announced the registration of "Halloumi" as a PDO.

In their appeal, the Cypriot company Papouis Dairies Ltd, along with other appellants, requested the General Court of the EU to annul the Commission's implementing regulation. The Court, however, dismissed the appeal in its entirety today.

The Court found that the Commission, when examining whether a name's registration as a PDO meets the requirements of EU law, is not obliged to verify if the described production method in the registration application is consistent with any pre-existing national standard for the product. However, it was noted that the application for Halloumi's registration did not conflict with the relevant national production standard in question.

According to the Court, this standard does not exclude the possibility of the proportion of goat or sheep milk, or their mixture, in the cheese exceeding the proportion of cow's milk. The Court also rejected the argument that the Commission failed to identify obvious errors in the description of the relationship between the quality or characteristics of the product in question and its geographical environment of origin.

Furthermore, the Court dismissed the argument that the Commission did not conduct an appropriate analysis regarding the Halloumi cheese production market and the situation of the companies trading this particular product.

Finally, the Court emphasized that although the Commission is required to determine the consequences of an act's annulment by a national court, which was issued by national authorities in the context of the national registration process, this annulment does not automatically invalidate the Commission's registration act.

The Attorney General of the Republic, George Savvides, described the decision of the General Court of the EU on Halloumi as very significant.

In a post on “X”, Mr. Savvides referred to it as a "very important decision," directing readers to the decision itself for more details.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment welcomed the decision of the General Court. The Ministry's announcement stated that the next significant milestone is the publication of the new European Regulation on Geographical Indications, expected next March. This regulation is anticipated to allow a five-year extension of the transitional period for implementing the product's production specifications.

It is reminded that, as announced on 26 January 2024, the President of the Republic will soon convene a meeting in the presence of all stakeholders in the Halloumi cheese production sector (cheesemakers, cattle breeders, goat and sheep farmers), where the Government's decisions will be announced.