4 Presidia and 4 Ark of Taste products of Slow Food will be presented in Brussels as potential GI candidates from Bulgaria 

On the 6th of September 2016 in Brussels, Mr Momchil Nekov, Member of the European Parliament from Bulgaria, who sits in the AGRI Committee of the EP is hosting an event to present the Bulgarian products that have potential to become PGI/PDO. A conference with the topic “Mitigating Climate Change with Geographical Indications & EU Quality Schemes” will take place from 9.30 to 11.30 at ASP-3H1. At 12.30 will be the inauguration of stands with Bulgarian products with potential for registration under the EU Quality Schemes that will be on Square Luxembourg just in front of the Information Office of the European Parliament. The event is part of Mr Nekov’s campaign “An Year of GIs – Let’s Save the Bulgarian Taste” that has been implemented in cooperation with the Association of Slow Food Convivia in Bulgaria. The products that will be demonstrated are selected as the most advanced and emblematic representatives of the Bulgarian gastronomic traditions among 30 products that have been nominated in the last year.

The event is taking place on a date that is symbolic for the Bulgarian history – the union between Bulgarian Kingdom and East Romelia that took place in 1886. It coincides with the strong will of Mr. Momchil Nekov and the Association of Slow Food Convivia in Bulgaria  to join efforts and safeguard Bulgarian food diversity and traditional knowledge and create a network of small but viable PDO/PGI products that cover the whole country.

The conference consists of two panels: 

Panel I “The role and potential of GIs in fighting climate change” will be opened by Mr Momchil Nekov, followed by opening remarks by Mr Diego Canga Fano, Director for Multilateral Relations and Quality Policy and Mr Paolo De Castro, MEP, AGRI Committee, S&D AGRI coordinator. Later on lectures will be presented by Ms Dessislava Dimitrova (Association of Slow Food Convivia in Bulgaria) and Ms Marie Clotteau (Euromontana – European association of mountain areas).

Panel II – “Geographical indications – Quality products and their positive print on climate change” will present the potential of the East-Balkan pig (Ms Radostina Doneva, Bulgaria, Association for breeding and preservation of the Eastern Balkan pig), Brezhani chestnut (Ms Rumyana Panova, Bulgaria, People and Traditions Association) and several GI products from Regione Emilia-Romagna (Mr Carlo Malavolta, Italy, “LIFE+ Climate changER: a project of to evaluate and reduce GHG emission of GI products”) to mitigate climate change.

From 12.30 to 17.00 citizens and guests of Brussels will have the opportunity to taste meat from East Balkan Pig, Elena ham, Kurtovo Konare pink tomato, Kurtovska kapia pepper and Kurtovka apple from Kurtovo Konare, Green Cheese from Cherni Vit, Meurche from Razlog region, Strandzha tea, goat cheese from Bulgarian local breed, onion from Reselets village and Pestil from Gabrovo, jam from a local plump variety and red wine from Gamza local grape variety. The local entrepreneurship initiative “Rural Mall” will also be presented.

To find out more about the products click here.

For registration for the conference, please send your name, date of birth, nationality, and passport or ID card number to MEP Momchil Nekov’s office at: [email protected] no later than September 5th 14:00.

The GI presentation, which will take place in front of the EP Information office in Belgium is open to all visitors of the EP and Brussels and no registration is needed.

For further information please contact:

Slow Food International Press Office

Paola Nano, +39 329 8321285, [email protected], [email protected]

Coordinator of Slow Food in Bulgaria

Dessislava Dimitrova, 00359 88 54 32 540, [email protected]

Office of MEP Momchil Nekov, 0032 2 28 47 201, [email protected]

Slow Food is a global grassroots organization that envisions a world in which all people can access and enjoy food that is good for them, good for those who grow it and good for the planet.  Slow Food involves over a million activists, chefs, experts, youth, farmers, fishers and academics in over 160 countries. Among them, a network of around 100,000 Slow Food members are linked to 1,500 local chapters worldwide, contributing through their membership fee, as well as the events and campaigns they organize. As part of the network, more than 2,400 Terra Madre food communities practice small-scale and sustainable production of quality food around the world.