ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL
Report on the 180th meeting of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation (Munich, 10 and 11 October 2024)
The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation held its 180th meeting in Munich in a hybrid format on 10 and 11 October 2024 under its Chairperson Josef KRATOCHVÍL (CZ).
After the Chairperson's activities report, the Council noted the Office's comprehensive quarterly activities report, which highlighted the developments of the five drivers under the SP2028, as well as the dedicated update on the Office's digital transformation journey through the IT programmes and pipelines. The Council welcomed the Office's achievements, including the multifaceted approach to quality, record productivity, comprehensive engagement with users, and the availability of quantitative and qualitative data through KPIs. Regarding digital transformation, the emphasis on lean governance, simplification and humancentric use of AI was also welcomed. Further, the Council also noted the management report of the President of the Boards of Appeal (PBoA) for 2024, including the achievement of the objective of settling 90% of appeals within 30 months, and warmly thanked the Boards of Appeal staff for their excellent results.
The Council decided to re-elect Mr Josef KRATOCHVÍL as its Chairperson for another term of three years, with effect from 1 January 2025. Furthermore, the Council also took a number of decisions on individual appointments and decided to
- elect Stefan HARASEK (AT) as Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Patent Law;
- re-appoint Mr Tom FEARNLEY (NO), Ms Hélène DUBOIS (FR) and Ms Margaret FROST (UK) as respectively deputy Chairperson, external member and alternate external member of the Supervisory Board of the Reserve Funds for Pensions and Social Security (RFPSS);
- re-appoint Ms Valeria FALCE and Mr Eero MANTERE as members of the Appeals Committee.
The Council also decided on the appointment, reappointment and career progression of members of the Boards of Appeal and of the Enlarged Board of Appeal, based on proposals by the PBoA.
Furthermore, the Council decided to take the necessary steps to extend the term of office of a member of the Board of Auditors, Mr Hannes SCHUH (AT) for a period of 2 years and to take a decision in that regard at its December meeting.
The Council unanimously adopted the draft decision inviting Bosnia and Herzegovina to accede to the European Patent Convention. It also authorised the President of the EPO to open negotiations on a validation agreement with the Republic of Djibouti on behalf of the European Patent Organisation and to conclude the validation agreement with the Republic of Costa Rica.
With regard to building matters, the Council gave a favourable opinion on the project proposals in The Hague, welcoming the optimisation of office space and energy consumption and the Office's long term financial sustainability.
Turning to personnel matters, the Council unanimously adopted the review of the conditions of employment for the Office's interpreters, welcoming the long-term and cost-effective solution developed by the Office.
The Council noted the reports from the chairpersons of its various bodies on their recent meetings, namely of the Boards of Appeal Committee and the Committee on Patent Law. In particular, the Council noted the report of the Chairperson of the Committee on Patent Law on its 60th meeting, including the exchange of views on the implementation of the 14th package of EU sanctions against Russia in EPC procedures. The Council also noted the presentation by the Office on the possible options for implementing the sanctions and requested the Office to continue the discussions at the November meeting of the Committee on Patent Law. Implementation in the Unitary Patent procedure was addressed by the Chairperson of the Select Committee, reporting on its latest meeting.
Finally, the Council was updated about the latest Unitary Patent developments by the Office and by the delegation of Hungary – the country holding the Presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2024 – on its activities.