Dos,33 while national implementing measures have supported the creation of dedicated registers for such products. The General Directorate of Industrial Property has formalised procedures for the recognition of GIs under both national and international frameworks. According to the latest official data, only 22 Geographical Indications/Designations of Origin had been registered out of 30 applications. While this indicates progress, it also reflects an underutilisation of the legal tools available.34 However, one publication shows several products which are registered under different quality schemes to the date, which help in their identification and promotion.35 While legislative alignment and institutional ambition are in place due to accession negotiation phase in EU, several implementation barriers remain. Producers, particularly in rural areas, often face substantial difficulties in navigating complex certification procedures, fulfilling traceability requirements, and maintaining compliance with labelling standards. These challenges are compounded by a lack of legal awareness, limited access to legal and technical assistance, and weak market linkages.36 Moreover, as noted in the Food Quality Policy Assessment Report for Albania,37 the enforcement of GI rights remains modest due to insufficient inter-agency coordination and the limited capacity of inspectorates and judicial mechanisms to handle infringement or non-compliance cases. In this context, intellectual/industrial property law—particularly through the vehicle of geographical indications—should be reimagined not as an isolated technical regime but as part of a broader system of cultural preservation, agricultural sustainability, and territorial development. The difficulty for Albania is no longer one of formal legal transposition, but of building an effective institutional infrastructure, cross-sectoral integration, and long-term policy coherence. 2.3. Agrotourism as a legal framework for integrating agriculture, culture, and gastronomy in territorial development Agrotourism in Albania has emerged as a legally structured mechanism for integrating agriculture, food heritage, and territorial identity within a single 33 Decision of Council of Ministers no 251, dated 24.4.2019 “On the approval of the regulation on Geographical Indications and Designations of Origin” OG 61/2019. 34 Annual Report 2024 of the General Directorate of Industrial Property, 18 <https://dppi.gov.al/wp-content/ uploads/2025/02/Raporti-shqip-DDPI_faqosur-NINA.pdf> accessed 21 August 2025. 35 Taste of Albanian territories and tradition <https://bujqesia.gov.al/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/SHIJETE%CC%88-TERRITORIT-DHE-TRADITE%CC%88S-SHQIPTARE.pdf> accessed 21 August 2025. 36 Food Quality Policy: Geographical Indications and Traditional Specialities Schemes in South-East Europe <https:// seerural.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Food-Quality-Policy-Assessment_ALB.pdf> accessed 21 August 2025. 37 Ibid. 476 NADA DOLLANI
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTE4NzM5Nw==