Beekepers of Croatia and Slovenia are launching a joint project to protect Istrian honey in the European Union, the Slovenian agriculture ministry confirmed on Tuesday.

Until now, the cross-border brand “Istarski med/istrski med” (Istrian honey) had a  protected designation of origin, and now Slovenia and Croatia will submit a joint application to register Istrian honey with the European Commission as a product with a protected designation of origin at the EU level.

The application for the protection of honey under the name Istrski med/Istarski med was prepared by Slovenian and Croatian beekeepers and the Institute of Agriculture and Tourism in Poreč, said Slovenia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food.

Last year, Istrian honey received the protected designation of origin label at the national level, with the ambition of later becoming protected in Europe.

Products with a protected designation of origin undergo institutional price and quality control to protect them from possible forgery.

The protected designation of origin label should apply to seven types of honey, as well as two types of multifloral honey, produced across Istria County, parts of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, including the city of Opatija, the municipalities of Lovran, Moscenicka Draga and Matulji, the islands of Cres and Losinj, and in the Slovenian coastal municipalities of Koper, Izola, Piran and Ankaran.