The name ‘Macedonia’ appears in the brand names of 182 Greek businesses, while more than 4,000 businesses describe one or more of their products using the Greek place name.
The ratification of the Prespes Agreement by Athens and FYROM has thrown them into a state of uncertainty as to whether their Skopjian neighbours will now have the right to also use the place name that identifies traditionally Greek products. The commercial chamber in northern Greece has already started taking action to offer legal assistance to businesses that want additional clarification regarding the details of the agreement.
The agreement includes a provision that secures the rights that Greek companies currently have under EU regulations. Article 1, Paragraph 3, states that the two sides “agree to support and encourage their business communities to institutionalise a structured and good faith dialogue, in the context of which they will and reach mutually acceptable solutions on issues deriving from the commercial names, trademarks and brand names and all relevant matters at a bilateral and international level.”
An international team of experts from both countries will be created to run through to 2022 and will focus on name and trademark issues that need to be addressed in the framework of the Prespes Agreement.