ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL
Reports on meetings of the Administrative Council
Report on the 124th meeting of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation (28 to 30 June 2010)
The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation held its 124th meeting in Munich from 28 to 30 June 2010, with Jesper Kongstad (DK), deputy chairman, presiding.
The last day of the meeting, 30 June 2010, coincided with the end of the three-year mandate of Alison Brimelow (GB) as President of the European Patent Office. She was succeeded with effect from 1 July 2010 by Benoît Battistelli (FR), whose five-year term of office runs until 30 June 2015. The handover was marked by a short ceremony after the meeting.
Jesper Kongstad was elected chairman of the Administrative Council for a three-year term, starting on 1 July 2010 and ending on 30 June 2013. The deputy chairmanship becoming vacant with this election, the Council decided that it would elect its new deputy chairperson at its 125th meeting, in October 2010. The election to the deputy chairmanship of the Budget and Finance Committee, which will fall vacant on 30 September 2010, will take place at that same meeting.
Having heard the activities report from its chairman, the Council noted the 2009 annual report and the President's activites report for the first half of 2010. It congratulated the President, together with the management and the staff of the Office, on the significant improvements achieved in several areas in the period under review.
The Council then appointed Hannes Schuh (AT) as a member of the Board of Auditors for a five-year mandate, starting on 1 July 2010 and ending on 30 June 2015.
The Council also made a series of appointments to the boards of appeal, namely:
- Michel Ceyte (FR), appointed chairman of a board of appeal and technically qualified member of the Enlarged Board of Appeal with effect from 1.2.2011 for a term of five years, which, however, in accordance with Article 23(1) EPC, will end on the last day of the month in which he reaches the age of sixty-eight;
- Giovanni Pricolo (IT), appointed chairman of a board of appeal and technically qualified member of the Enlarged Board of Appeal with effect from 1.1.2011;
- Stefan Krischer (DE), appointed technically qualified member of the boards of appeal with effect from 1.10.2010;
- Paul Scriven (GB), appointed technically qualified member of the boards of appeal with effect from 1.10.2010, and
- Georges Zucka (BE), appointed technically qualified member of the boards of appeal with effect from 1.10.2010.
Under legal and international affairs, the Council was informed that after Albania, which had become the 37th member state of the European Patent Organisation on 1 May 2010, the next country to join the Organisation would be Serbia, in the autumn of 2010.
It then noted an oral progress report on the EU patent, given by the Spanish delegation, representing the country holding the EU presidency in the first half of 2010, together with the action plan set out by the Belgian delegation, on behalf of the incoming presidency, and further explanations provided by the representative of the European Commission and the representative of BUSINESSEUROPE.
The Council also heard a report on the latest developments concerning the Trilateral and IP5 co-operation, as well as the PCT roadmap and the PPH (Patent Prosecution Highway) project.
As regards personnel matters, the Council decided, in particular, to introduce a funded system to finance its healthcare insurance scheme on 1 January 2011.
The Council conducted an exchange of views on a possible institutional governance issue in relation to the budgetary process of the European School Munich. It was agreed that this discussion would be continued in the autumn of 2010.
Under the heading Financial matters/budget/planning, the Council supported orientations given in two documents presented by the Office, dealing, repectively, with the issues of cost coverage and enhancing certainty in the patenting process. It also supported the timetable proposed by the Office for fee reform and sustainable financing.
Having noted the oral report given by the chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee on the Committee's 98th meeting (8 to 10 June 2010), and the unit cost results 2009, the Council unanimously approved the Board of Auditors' report for the accounting period 2009, and discharged the President in respect of implementation of the 2009 budget and the Administrator of the Reserve Funds for Pensions and Social Security in respect of fund management in 2009. The Council congratulated the Office on the progress achieved in reducing unit costs.
Finally, the Council gave a unanimous favourable opinion on the basic assumptions presented by the Office for the business plan, the budget 2011 and the financial estimates 2012-2015.