Ouzo and tsipouro are to be recognized as Greek products by the European Union and will be regarded as drinks that can only be produced in Greece, Agriculture Minister Evangelos Bassiakos said yesterday.

Following an EU meeting of agriculture ministers in Brussels, Bassiakos said that the legal protection of the drinks will be secured across the 25-nation bloc.

“The minister succeeded after difficult negotiations to register the drinks ouzo, tsipouro and tsikoudia as geographically protected,” the ministry said.

According to an unnamed Agriculture Ministry official, Greece had also allowed fellow EU member Cyprus the right to make ouzo when it joined in 2004, Reuters reported.

The EU ministers also agreed yesterday to give Cyprus the exclusive right to produce zivania, a colorless alcoholic drink with a light aroma of raisins.

The EU has previously granted brand protection to other drinks, such as champagne from France.