objectives. These include climate action, the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystems, responsible use of natural resources, circular economy practices such as waste reduction, improved animal welfare, fair income for producers, support for local production and rural vitality, attraction of a young and new generation in agriculture production, and better working and safety conditions across the agri-food chain.28 The protection of tradition and its collective and communitybased character, despite being recognised in the early ’90s by European legal instruments,29 and analysed by legal scholars subsequently,30 was not an easy task for EU institutions and judiciary in the early stages of integration, where the focus was mainly on the market only. Petar Šarčević argues that in light of comparative legal theory and postmodern pluralism, the legal safeguarding of gastronomic heritage goes beyond regulatory standardisation and embrace the droit à la différence—the right to culinary distinction—acknowledging that traditional food systems are not only economic in nature but also reflect distinct cultural identities, which require specific and appropriate legal recognition.31 Quality schemes and geographical indications (GIs) are no longer viewed merely as marketing tools or economic labels; they now constitute legally protected rights that preserve collective knowledge and regional identity.32 To complement the legal framework on food quality schemes the Albanian legislator has adopted also a detailed regulation for the registration of GIs, and 28 Art 7, paragraph (2) of of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143. 29 See for example Council Regulation (EEC) No 2082/92 of 14 July 1992 on certificates of specific character for agricultural products and foodstuffs OJ L 208, 24.7.1992, pp. 9–14. See, for a historical overview and analysis of EU regulations and directives concerning gastronomy, Inger Eriksson Haider, ‘Préservation du patrimoine gastronomique gustatif, bel effort de l’Union européenne, evolution de la legislation communautaire relative aux aliments de qualité’ in Alberto Aronovitz, Gastronomie, Alimentation et Droit: Mélanges en l’honneur de Pierre Widmer (Schulthess 2003) 179. 30 Apart from several EU directives and regulations (ibid), even traditional legal scholars have surprisingly engaged with gastronomy as a legal object. See, for example Ugo Patroni Griffi ‘Il caso Parmesan. Considerazioni parasistematiche sul rapporto tra disciplina delle DOP e disciplina dei marchi’ in Alberto Aronovitz, Gastronomie, Alimentation et Droit: Mélanges en l’honneur de Pierre Widmer (Schulthess 2003) 129 and many other legal scholars contributing to the collection in honour of the renowned late Professor of tort law, Pierre Widmer. 31 See Petar Šarčević, ‘Quo vadis iudice Comparative Law and Comparative Gastronomy’ in Alberto Aronovitz, Gastronomie, Alimentation et Droit: Mélanges en l’honneur de Pierre Widmer (Schulthess 2003) 197. In a compelling analysis, the author examines a series of court cases concerning Emmental cheese—both in Austrian jurisprudence and before the European Court of Justice—to illustrate how judicial responses to traditional food designations go beyond mere technical standardisation. These cases serve as concrete examples supporting the argument that the right to gastronomic difference requires specific legal protection, highlighting the deeper tension between market universalism and the cultural distinctiveness of food. 32 See Roland Bardhi and Petrit Dobi, Manual për zhvillimin e treguesve gjeografikë dhe specialiteteve tradicionale të garantuara të produkteve bujqësore dhe ushqimore në Shqipëri [Manual for the Development of Geographical Indications and Traditional Specialty Guaranteed Products in Agriculture and Food in Albania] (Tirana, 2022). 475 SUSTAINABLE GASTRONOMY IN ALBANIA
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