Wine Law

32 protection scheme for designations of origin, which I think, should continue dealing solely with agri-food, as I will discuss further below. The forthcoming changes could, indeed, strengthen designations of origin, the truly well-established status in Europe, setting sharper limits away from geographical indications, which, as defined by the 2012 Regulation, might well open up to a variety of other products. As a cautionary Word, we must add that the European institutions, in the documents mentioned above, refer to “geographical indications” in very broad terms, without distinguishing designations of origin from geographical indications. In all likelihood, however, a specific regulation of geographical indications (as a subtype) for industrial products and handicrafts will be passed with distinct definitions, procedure and registration 42 . We will now turn our attention the various views expressed by scholars on the extension of the scope for designations. 5.2. Scholars’ views The 1985 attempt on the part of Galicia Regional Parliament at applying the designation of origin status to ornamental stones was soon examined by Areán Lalín, before the Constitutional Court delivered any pronouncement 43 . “We do not find, he claimed —back then— overwhelming grounds for blocking designations of origin for non- agricultural products”, since its characteristics “are exclusively or essentially due to natural factors o circumstances indigenous to the relevant country, region or place”. He mentions, by way of an example, mineral waters — which are a food product. He views this as fully and uncontroversially agreed. “That which remains hotly contested”, he added, is “whether designations of origin may cover industrial products, strictly speaking”. Professor Areán simply states that the Galician regulation, in its first article, “appears to claim that they should”, not providing any explicit assessment on it. 42 In the resolution passed in Parliament, it urged that “this system should be accompanied by the setting up of a single European Register, regulated and public, of the non-agricultural products that enjoy protection under the geographical indication status, for the purpose of promoting handicrafts and informing and protecting both consumers and producers, avoiding unnecessary administrative fees”. 43 Op . cit ., p. 576.