Legal and economic issues of geographical indications for agricultural products in Poland and Ukraine

Geographical indications are beginning to make an important place in the agri-food products market, as they ensure the recognition of products on the world market, therefore the issues of ensuring their protection and effective use are relevant. The main goal of the study was to conduct a comparative statistical analysis of legal and economic issues of geographical indications of food products in the agricultural sector of Poland and Ukraine. The research used the methods of descriptive statistics, the method of comparative analysis, the graphic method, the monographic approach, and the abstract-logical method. The structure of agricultural market output of European Union countries, Poland, and Ukraine was investigated. It was established that Ukraine is dominated by the export of plant products, while Poland and the European Union countries focus on goods with added value. An analysis of geographical indications in force by product category and geographical indications in force by legal means was carried out. Geographical indications registered in Poland and Ukraine for specific types of products were examined. It was established that fresh fruits, vegetables, and cereals predominate among the categories of registered geographical indications in Poland, while wine and mineral water are the most common groups of geographical indications registered in Ukraine. The approaches to the interpretation of the category of geographical indication in the European Union, Poland and Ukraine in accordance with the norms of the current legal acts have been analysed, and the main differences have been established. An analysis of the main common and different approaches to the regulation of geographical indications in the European Union, Poland and Ukraine in accordance with the regulatory framework was carried out. It has been established that in Poland there are different registration procedures and authorities for goods of industrial property and separately for agricultural goods. In the European Union, there is a separate regulation on geographical indications of alcohol. In Ukraine, there is a separate procedure for the registration of only alcoholic beverages, and there is no separate procedure for agricultural products. The results of the study are of practical importance for regulatory bodies of Ukraine in the direction of innovation development and expansion of intellectual property protection procedures in the agricultural sector