António Campinos reappointed President of the European Patent Office

The member states of the European Patent Organisation have voted for another five-year term in office for the President of the European Patent Office (EPO), António Campinos, commencing 1 July 2023. The decision was taken at a meeting of the organisation's Administrative Council held today in Munich.

A Portuguese national, António Campinos was appointed as EPO President on 1 July 2018. Under his leadership the EPO launched its Strategic Plan 2023 in 2019, focusing on sustainability and delivering the highest quality services to its users and the public.

During his first tenure Mr Campinos has steered the EPO through a sweeping digital transformation, with staff switching rapidly to large-scale teleworking back in March 2020. Beyond the efficiency gains triggered by new online workflows and tools, digital transformation is also delivering major benefits for users. The large-scale use of videoconferencing for oral hearings in patent cases, for instance, gave patent applicants access to justice during the pandemic.

By ramping up its consultation with users, the EPO has also redoubled efforts to maintain and enhance the quality of its products and services in recent years, while embedding sustainability more deeply across all aspects of its operations.

Commenting on his reappointment, Mr Campinos said: "It's been a privilege to serve for a first term and I am honoured by this second mandate. I am looking forward to working with all colleagues and stakeholders, who have been so instrumental in our achievements to date and play a crucial role in helping us to build a global patent system that meets the needs of the innovation community."

The Administrative Council meeting also included a presentation of the EPO's Annual Review 2021, with member states fully endorsing the solid progress made by the Office towards achieving the five goals of its Strategic Plan 2023.