INFORMATION FROM THE EPO
Notice dated 3 September 1998 concerning the introduction of the euro
1. General comments
The conversion rates for the euro, which will become the common currency of the member states of the European monetary union (EMU), will be laid down on 1 January 1999. For a three-year transitional period up to 31 December 2001, the national currencies will continue to exist as sub-units of the euro. The following currencies of contracting states to the EPC are affected by the conversion: Austrian Schillings (ATS), Belgian francs (BEF), Deutsche Mark (DEM), Spanish pesetas (ESP), Finnish markka (FIM), French francs (FRF), Irish pounds (IEP), Italian lira (ITL), Luxembourg francs (LUF), Dutch guilders (NLG) and Portuguese escudos (PTE).
2. Fees, costs and prices
As of 2 March 1999, the EPO will lay down its fees, costs and prices in euro and will make the euro the reference currency in place of the Deutsche Mark. As a result, Articles 2, 5(1), 6 and 8(3) of the Rules relating to Fees (RFees) will have to be amended. This is a matter for the Administrative Council. It is planned to submit the necessary amendments to the Council at its December 1998 meeting. Subject to its approval, the amounts in DEM in Articles 2 and 8(3) RFees will be converted to euro with effect from 2 March 1999 on the basis of the EUR/DEM conversion rate to be fixed on 1 January 1999. At the same time the fees, costs and prices to be laid down by the President in accordance with Article 3 RFees will also be converted to euro. According to Article 6(4) RFees the President of the Office lays down the equivalents in the currencies mentioned in paragraph 1 above, including that of the current reference currency, the Deutsche Mark, on the basis of the conversion rates valid on 1 January 1999. For the equivalents in the other currencies (Swiss francs (CHF), Cyprus pounds (CYP), Danish krone (DKK), Pounds sterling (GBP), Greek drachma (GRD) and Swedish krona (SEK)), the EPO conversion guidelines published in OJ EPO 1994, 872 apply, euro replacing the Deutsche Mark as the reference currency.
Fees, costs and prices can be paid to the EPO in euro as of 2 March 1999.
3. Invoices for services and information products
As of 2 March 1999, invoices for EPO patent information products, services and costs will be issued in both euro and the national currency of the relevant EPC contracting state. For all other states they will be issued in euro and Deutsche Mark.
4. Deposit accounts and automatic debiting procedure
From 2 March 1999 until the end of the transitional period on 31 December 2001, deposit accounts will be held in both euro and DEM in order to give holders as much flexibility as possible. Individual debit orders (No. 6.2 of the Arrangements for deposit accounts) may be made out in euro or DEM. Fees falling due under the automatic debiting procedure will, however, continue to be debited in DEM during the transitional period, unless the account holder requests Treasury and Accounts Directorate in Munich in writing to debit all fees in future in euro. A request to this effect may not be revoked and applies to all applications for which the account holder has issued an automatic debit order. The Arrangements for deposit accounts and for the automatic debiting procedure (supplement to OJ EPO 6/1994) will be amended accordingly.
Further information on the introduction of the euro will be published in the Official Journal of the European Patent Office in due course.