EPO mission to Latvia and Lithuania

EPO President Campinos with Latvian Minister of Justice, Inese Lībina-Egnere (left) and with Lithuanian Minister of Justice, Rimantas Mockus (right)

The mission marked the 105^th anniversary of the Latvian Patent Office and saw the signing of a new bilateral co-operation agreement with Lithuania.

Between 7 and 9 April 2025, EPO President António Campinos visited Latvia and Lithuania to strengthen partnerships and mark key IP milestones in both countries. Discussions focused on a simplified and unified approach to supporting innovation, harmonising legal practices, and improving access to patent protection—particularly for startups, SMEs and other small entities. The President underlined the importance of scaling innovation, enhancing cross-border collaboration, and leveraging patent data to attract investment and support early-stage growth.

Celebrating 105 years of the Latvian Patent Office (LPO)

In Latvia, the President met with Ms Inese Lībina-Egnere, Minister of Justice, Mr Jurģis Miezainis, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Economics, and Ms Ieva Jāgere, Director of the Investment and Development Agency. The meetings highlighted Latvia’s early support for the Unitary Patent system and addressed barriers to scaling high-tech startups, including market fragmentation and limited access to venture capital. Discussions also underscored the importance of embracing AI and explored the use of AI tools to streamline legal processes. The field of ICT innovation was a particular focus, with emphasis on how Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies can boost Europe’s productivity. Additionally, the President emphasised that startups filing European patent applications early are significantly more likely to attract investment.

The visit marked the 105^th anniversary of the LPO and 20 years since Latvia joined the European Patent Convention (EPC). President Campinos joined a panel with representatives from the EUIPO and WIPO at the anniversary conference “IP as a Catalyst for Innovation and Growth: Connecting Research, Technology and SMEs”. He said: “The EPO’s patent data offers a vital roadmap for industry, policymakers, and investors, helping to identify where Europe must invest in innovation. The next big challenge will be to ensure sufficient funding to our high-tech start-ups in strategic fields like green tech, AI and semiconductors to make sure they scale up in Europe and not elsewhere. The EPO remains committed to simplifying access to the patent system – so that high-tech start-ups, research institutions and universities can bring their ideas to market.”

As part of the celebrations, the President presented a Latvian Intellectual Property Award and paid tribute to Ms Māra Rozenblate, leading expert on European Patents at the Latvian Patent Office, for her pivotal role in Latvia’s accession to the EPC.

EPO and Lithuania sign bilateral co-operation agreement

In Lithuania, President Campinos held talks with Mr Rimantas Mockus, Minister of Justice; Mr Rytis Jokubauskas, Vice-Minister of Justice; and Ms Vita Kascėnė, Director of the State Patent Bureau (SPB). The EPO and the SPB signed a new bilateral co-operation agreement under the EPO’s Strategic Plan 2028 framework, setting out joint actions on examiner training, legal alignment, digital transformation and IP awareness.

During the meetings, the President acknowledged Lithuania’s early support for the Unitary Patent, its rising uptake of unitary effect requests, and the SPB’s leadership in IT modernisation, including its successful pilot of the EPO’s electronic filing system. The SPB will soon begin testing the EPO’s Digital Tool Kit, including the Legal Assistant for handling legal queries.

Concluding the visit, President Campinos described the SPB as a valued and forward-looking partner and reaffirmed the EPO’s commitment to continued collaboration at all levels.