Some Croatian media reported claims by the president of Veneto Province in Italy, Luca Zaia, from the right-wing Lega party, that a decree that would ban the name 'prošek' on Croatian wines will soon be published in the European Union's Official Journal.
Italy previously requested a ban on "prošek" because it is too similar to the Italian 'prosecco.' The Italians position is that the use of the name ‘prošek’ harms the reputation of their ‘prosecco’ wine.
MEP Picula's office reacted to the articles which conveyed "incorrect information." The European Commission's representative office in Croatia promptly reacted and received confirmation from an EC spokesperson that the new Regulation on Geographical Origin will not affect the Prošek case, and the Commission's internal check on the Prošek case is still ongoing and that no final decision has been made.
Picula thanked the Commission for its quick reaction to limit "the effects of that Italian fake news" and said that the fight for Prošek, which his office is also involved in, "is continuing with the solid arguments already presented."
He recalled that the new regulation published in the EU official journal on 23 April clearly states that two homonymous names can be protected when there is a clear difference in local production and consumption conditions and the average customer is not confused.
"Since the beginning of the protection process for prošek, Croatia has continuously argued that prosecco and prošek are two top-quality products that are clearly distinguished by all relevant parameters: colour, smell, type of wine, price, bottle size, consumption and place on store shelves," Picula's office said in a press release.
Picula previously organised an extensive information campaign to show that the two are completely different products.