ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL
Report on the 178th meeting of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation (Munich, 19 and 20 March 2024)
The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation held its 178th meeting in Munich in a hybrid format on 19 and 20 March 2024 under its Chairperson Josef KRATOCHVÍL (CZ) and its Deputy Chairperson, Borghildur ERLINGSDÓTTIR (IS).
The Council was presented with a quarterly report on the Office's activities, as well as an intermediate report on the New Ways of Working (NWoW) pilot scheme. The Council welcomed the Office's excellent results, as well as the comprehensive intermediate report on the results achieved since the launch of the NWoW pilot scheme in September 2022. The Council also noted the management report of the President of the Boards of Appeal for 2023 and congratulated the Board's staff for their excellent results.
Among the strategic items:
- the Council examined and unanimously approved the Strategic Plan 2028 and the corresponding Annual Work Plan 2024. Delegations praised the renewed strategic vision of SP2028, highlighting financial sustainability, the importance of digital transformation and the integration of AI tools into the patent granting process, the focus on high quality and timely products and services, the co-operation with the NPOs and the proactive focus on partnerships.
- as part of the modernisation of the EPO's external governance proposed by the Chairperson the Council, meeting in closed session, gave a favourable opinion on a proposal regarding appointment/reappointment procedures for the President and Vice-Presidents and voting/secret ballot, and noted that the Chairperson, working with the Board of the Administrative Council, will prepare a consolidated version to be submitted to the Council in June. Furthermore, it gave a unanimous favourable opinion on a proposal for a Code of Conduct for the Council.
- the Council unanimously authorised the President to conclude a validation agreement between the Lao People's Democratic Republic and the European Patent Organisation, and to open negotiations on a validation agreement with the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
Furthermore, the Council also unanimously approved two recommendations, namely one for a common practice as regards allowable features in drawings and the other for a common practice as regards issuing and accepting electronic priority documents.
Regarding appointments, the Council unanimously decided to:
- re-elect Mr Antti RIIVARI (FI) as chairperson of the Committee on Patent Law for a term of office of three years, with effect from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2027, such term of office being renewable;
- elect Mr Adam WILLIAMS (GB) as member of the Board of the Administrative Council for a term of office of three years, with effect from 20 March 2024 to 19 March 2027, as well as Mr Agris BATALAUSKIS (LV), as member of the Board of the Administrative Council for a term of office of three years, with effect from 27 June 2024 to 26 June 2027, such terms of office being non-renewable;
- re-appoint Mr Julyan ELBRO (GB) as alternate member of the Boards of Appeal Committee for a term of office of three years, with effect from 23 March 2024 to 22 March 2027, such term of office being renewable or extendable.
The Council also decided on the appointment and re-appointment of members of the Boards of Appeal, based on proposals by the President of the Boards of Appeal.
As regards building matters, the Council noted the information provided by the Office on the new premises of the EPO sub-office in Berlin.
Further, the Council noted the reports of the respective Chairpersons of the Committee on Patent Law, and of the Boards of Appeal Committee respectively, as well as an update on Unitary Patent protection presented by the Office, by the Belgian delegation, Belgium being the country to hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first half of 2024, and by the Chairperson of the Select Committee.