Official Journal of the European Union

The amending Agreement in the Annex, in the form of the Decision of the Joint Committee, shall be published in the

Official Journal of the European Union

after its adoption by the Joint Committee.

Done at Brussels, 8 December 2023.

For the Commission

Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI

Member of the Commission

(1)

OJ L 330, 27.12.2018, p. 1

, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2018/1907/oj.

(2) Decision No 1/2021 of the Joint Committee under the Agreement between the European Union and Japan for an Economic Partnership of 25 January 2021 on the amendments to Annexes 14-A and 14-B on geographical indications [2021/109], (

OJ L 35, 1.2.2021, p. 31

, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2021/109/oj).

https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/files/100141732.pdf

(3) Decision No 1/2022 of the Joint Committee under the Agreement between the European Union and Japan for an Economic Partnership of 21 January 2022 on the amendments to Annex 14-B on geographical indications [2022/138], (

OJ L 22, 1.2.2022, p. 45

, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2022/138/oj).

https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/files/100293455.pdf

(4) Decision No 1/2023 of the Joint Committee under the Agreement between the European Union and Japan for an Economic Partnership of 27 September 2023 on the amendments to Annex 14-B on geographical indications [2023/2118] (

OJ L, 2023/2118, 12.10.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2023/2118/oj

ANNEX

DECISION No 2/2023 OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE UNDER THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND JAPAN FOR AN ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP

of [date]

on the amendments to Annex 14-B on geographical indications

THE JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement between the European Union and Japan for an Economic Partnership (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Agreement’), and in particular Articles 14.30 and 22.2 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) The Agreement entered into force on 1 February 2019.

(2) Within the framework of the Committee on Intellectual Property, the European Union and Japan (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Parties’) confirmed that every year, starting from 2020 and until 2022, the Joint Committee will consider up to 28 names from the European Union and from Japan respectively to be protected as geographical indications (hereinafter referred to as ‘GIs’) and added in Annex 14-B of the Agreement, provided that those names are protected as GIs domestically. In accordance with Article 14.30 of the Agreement, 28 GIs of the European Union and 28 GIs of Japan were added in Annex 14-B of the Agreement on 1 February 2021 (1) and on 1 February 2022 (2), respectively. As for the third addition of GIs to Annex 14-B, the Parties confirmed that it will take place in 2023 instead of 2022 and that the said addition will be made in two separate occasions in 2023: One for both 28 GIs of the European Union and 14 GIs for Japan and the other for the rest of the Japanese agricultural GIs. The Parties also confirmed that both sides will continue to work to add further GIs to be protected in respective sides as from 1 January 2025.

(3) Regarding the first part of the third amendment in 2023, in accordance with Article 14.30 of the Agreement, 28 GIs of the European Union and 14 GIs of Japan were added in Annex 14-B of the Agreement on 30 September 2023.