Bulgarian Crafts with European Protection: New Registration Regime

Within a two-day international conference held in Sofia and Plovdiv, key strategies for protecting Bulgarian geographical indications for artisan and industrial products were presented. The forum, organized jointly with the European Commission and the Intellectual Property Office, attracted the attention of a wide range of experts and stakeholders.

The first day of the event, held at Grand Hotel "Sofia", brought together representatives from various fields - artisan structures, state institutions, ethnographic museums, and industrial property specialists. The main goal was to outline new opportunities for registering Bulgarian traditional products such as Troyan Ceramics, Chiprovtsi Carpets, and other unique artisan products.

Eng. Olya Dimitrova, Chair of the Patent Office, emphasized the exceptional importance of the upcoming changes in the registration regime. She underlined that the institution will undertake a series of working meetings with the National Artisan Chamber and individual producers to identify and localize authentic Bulgarian crafts.

A key point in Dimitrova's speech was the need for active participation of the producers themselves in the registration process. According to her, obtaining European protection directly depends on the initiative of artisans and their ability to prove the uniqueness of their production technologies.

The Patent Office demonstrated readiness for broad dialogue and expert assistance. The institution plans to attract specialists who will verify the authenticity of traditional productions, including industrial property representatives and law firms with in-depth knowledge of national and European legislation.

The conference is part of the European Commission's large-scale information campaign and represents an important step towards preserving and promoting Bulgarian cultural and artisan heritage at the European level.