Brussels
Not all sparkling wine is champagne, the European Union said this week. It issued a final list of more than 40 wines, cheeses, and other products that it wants protected by a global trade pact. At a summit of trade ministers later this month in Cancún, the E.U. plans to push for a global register of regionally produced foods whose names would be, in effect, trademarked. The list includes the wines Beaujolais, Chianti, and Madeira; the cheeses Gorgonzola and Roquefort; as well as Parma ham and mortadella sausages. The Europeans said other countries had stolen European regional names and claimed them as their own. “It is simply not acceptable that the E.U. cannot sell its genuine Italian Parma ham in Canada because the trademark ‘Parma ham’ is reserved for a ham produced in Canada,” said E.U. Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler.
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