Parmesan is Italian, says ECJ

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has rejected German bids to use the name ‘Parmesan’, at a ruling in Luxembourg.

“Only cheeses bearing the protected designation of origin ‘Parmigiano Reggiano’ can be sold under the name ‘Parmesan’,” said the ECJ, which means only Italians can market cheese using that name.

“There is no more risk in Europe of finding Parmesan that isn’t Parmesan,” said Italian Agriculture Minister, Paolo De Castro. “Outside the European Union is another story.”

The European Commission sued Germany in 2005 after the government refused to prosecute its cheese producers for using the name. The commission says Parmesan is the translation of the protected term ‘Parmigiano Reggiano’.

The German Dairy Association said: “If use of the name Parmesan is indeed an evocation of the protected term ‘Parmigiano Reggiano’, it begs the question why Italian producers can use terms such as ‘Parmisea aso’ for cheese that doesn’t include Parmigiano Reggiano.”

A PDF of the judgement (Case C-132/05) can be downloaded from <http://curia.europa.eu/en/actu/news/index.htm>.