The Cabinet of Ministers intends to fine for the names “champagne” and “cognac”

A government bill has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada that provides for fines for the illegal use of registered brands of alcohol and food products. This is confirmed by the draft law card on the parliament’s website.

Thus, the document provides for the introduction of administrative liability for violation of the law in the field of geographical indications of alcoholic beverages and food products.

In particular, an allusion (direct or indirect reference to one or more official names of alcoholic beverages and food products or their geographical indications in the description, presentation, labeling) provides a fine of 20 to 50 tax-free minimum income of citizens ( from 340 hryvnia to 850 hryvnia) .

As noted in the explanatory note to the project, the law on geographical indications of alcoholic beverages, adopted in December 2022, will enter into force on December 28, 2024.

This law should harmonize national law with EU law and establish common rules for the definition, description, presentation and labeling of products and the protection of geographical indications.

Let’s recall that in 2019 the Rada adopted a law on the protection of geographic brands. Ukraine signed an Association Agreement with the EU and committed itself to protecting European geographical names from counterfeiting. The law also applies to champagne and cognac brands.

And in 2020, Ukraine stopped exporting products under the names “cognac” and “champagne”, replacing their names with “sparkling wine” and “brandy”.