The President of the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, Engineer Olya Dimitrova, said that Bulgaria has a rich heritage of crafts ranging from ceramics, textiles and woodcarving, through knife-making and leather crafting, to jewelry-making. ''These crafts require not only skill and imagination but also a deep spiritual connection to tradition'', Olya Dimitrova said at the International Conference in Sofia titled "Bulgarian Crafts – Traditions Meet the Future".

''I believe that through effective protection of geographical indications, we can not only preserve these values but also boost regional businesses, encourage younger generations to develop them and present Bulgarian handcraft products on the European and global market'', Olya Dimitrova added, as quoted by BTA.

The forum is organised by the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, in cooperation with the European Commission (EC) and the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). It is part of an information campaign by the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria regarding the new regulation on geographical indications for craft and industrial products, such as Bulgarian sgraffito ceramics, carpets, etc., whose registration is being transferred from national to EU level.