39. The representative of the European Communities said that the proposal circulated in document IP/C/W/107 was a first step in a process that risked to be long and cumbersome. He expected criticisms and suggestions and hoped that these would allow Members to proceed further, albeit, in all likelihood, by trial and error. His delegation had relied on the groundwork done by the Secretariat which, in document IP/C/W/85, had elaborated on a number of existing international registration systems for geographical indications, namely the Lisbon Agreement and other agreements which had a bearing on this matter. His delegation had taken on board as much from that document as possible. As regards the legal basis for work under Article 23.4 of the Agreement, Members had agreed that negotiations should be undertaken in the Council for TRIPS concerning the establishment of a multilateral system of notification and registration of geographical indications for wines eligible for protection in those Members participating in the system. In addition, Members had agreed at the Singapore Ministerial Conference in 1996 that the Council for TRIPS, in accordance with paragraph 34 of its Report (1996), would initiate in 1997 preliminary work on issues relevant to the negotiations specified in Article 23.4 of the TRIPS Agreement concerning the establishment of a multilateral system of notification and registration of geographical indications for wines and that issues relevant to a notification and registration system of geographical indications for spirits would be part of this preliminary work. Reacting to comments received at the informal meeting of 16 July 1998, he wished to underline that his delegation's intention was not to alter the level of protection for geographical indications for wines and spirits provided in the TRIPS Agreement. The intention was to achieve an administrative system to gain legal clarity and legal certainty as to which geographical indications were protected in which territories. No new substantive obligations would be created, but only a procedural mechanism.
