Feta Cheese Is Greek, Rules Europe’s Top Court In Snub To Denmark

Greece won its battle to defend its ownership of the term “Feta” on Thursday when Europe’s top court censured Denmark for allowing local businesses to use the brand for sales outside of the European Union.
Due to its 6,000-year history of production, Greece counts feta as a component of its cultural heritage.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which has its headquarters in Luxembourg, concurred with this claim. The justices ruled that Denmark had broken its legal obligations by continuing to label cheese intended for export to foreign nations as “Feta.”

Denmark had contended that an export ban could be perceived as a barrier to commerce in the case launched by the European Commission and supported by Cyprus.

Since 2002, the EU executive has identified feta as a traditional Greek product, granting it legal protection throughout the 27-nation union. The label was approved by the CJEU in 2005. For Greece, which produces around 120,000 tonnes of feta annually, the issue goes beyond simple national pride.

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