Non-Food Geographical Indications in the European Union: Comparative Indicators, Cluster Typologies, and Policy Scenarios Under Regulation (EU) 2023/2411

Non-food geographical indications (GIs) are emerging as strategic policy instruments in the European Union after Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 extended protection to craft and in-dustrial products. While the literature on agri-food GIs is extensive, empirical and com-parative evidence on non-food GIs remains scarce and fragmented. This study addresses this gap by constructing a harmonised dataset, combining 132 registered and 380 poten-tial non-food GIs identified by EUIPO (512 in total across the EU). Using secondary insti-tutional data, descriptive and comparative statistics, and a hierarchical clustering (Ward, squared Euclidean distance) on normalised indicators total GIs, GIs per million inhabit-ants (GI/POP), and GIs per € billion of GDP (GI/GDP), the analysis identifies three country typologies differing by scale and intensity. Results reveal a strong geographical concentra-tion in Southern Europe but also unexpectedly high intensity in smaller or mid-sized economies such as Portugal, Cyprus, and Slovenia. A forward-looking scenario analysis based on Cost of Non-Europe (CoNE) estimates suggests that the full implementation of the new Regulation could generate 284,000–338,000 new jobs and € 37–50 billion in addi-tional intra-EU trade. The study contributes to EU policy debates by introducing compara-tive indicators (GI/POP, GI/GDP) as monitoring tools for evidence-based policymaking and by highlighting the role of non-food GIs as hybrid institutions connecting industrial competitiveness, cultural identity, and sustainability transitions.