ANKARA

Türkiye is increasing its efforts to boost the number of food products recognized under the EU’s geographical indications and traditional specialties schemes from 40 to 60 next year, as per the 2026 Presidential Annual Program.

The program aims to develop an innovative environment for intellectual property (IP) rights, protect the rights of IP holders within the country and worldwide, provide opportunities for innovation and the creation of value-added global brands via support programs, and combat rights violations.

The program also provides technical assistance to institutions submitting EU applications, as well as support for pilot products for identification, branding training, awareness campaign organization, and other activities.

The program also includes the creation of a plan for using artificial intelligence (AI) in registration processes.

The number of people working on patent applications for green and digital transformation will grow, and informative seminars will be held to discuss industrial property issues.

The number of registered and valid patents in the green and digital transformation sectors is expected to reach 4,000 this year and 4,400 next year.

The number of international patent applications from Türkiye is expected to reach 2,100 by the end of next year and 2,300 by 2026.

Among these targets are EU geographical indication registrations. In addition to "Gaziantep baklava," the EU recently certified one of the country's traditional pastries, "kaytaz boregi," which is a landmark in the southeastern city of Hatay.