Communiqués
33rd meeting of the Select Committee of the Administrative Council held in Munich (19 March 2025)
182nd meeting of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation (Munich, 19 and 20 March 2025)
The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation held its 182nd meeting in Munich in a hybrid format on 19 and 20 March 2025 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 and the progress made with the KPIs. The Council congratulated the President, management and staff on the excellent results achieved. Delegations and observers expressed their appreciation for the Office’s recruitment policy, its continuous commitment to quality, the developments in international and IT co-operation, and how the Office is leveraging the latest technological and artificial intelligence (AI) advancements while maintaining a human-centric approach.
Further, the Council noted the management report of the President of the Boards of Appeal (PBoA) for 2024. The Council warmly thanked the Boards of Appeal staff for their excellent results, the transparent, systematic and thorough reporting, and welcomed the additional information provided on aspects of the BoA’s productivity.
The Council re-elected Mr Johannes Christian WICHARD (DE) as Chairperson of the Technical and Operational Support Committee (TOSC) and Mr Peter SLATER (UK) as Deputy Chairperson of the TOSC for a further term of office of three years, with effect from 30 June 2025 and 29 June 2025 respectively. Furthermore, the Council decided on the reappointment of members of the Boards of Appeal, based on proposals by the PBoA.
In closed session, the Council noted the update provided by the Chairperson regarding the composition of the Board of Auditors and additional information relating to the Haar building.
Then, the Council unanimously approved the recommended common practice as regards observations by third parties and the recommended common practice as regards assignments.
The Council acknowledged the reports from the chairpersons of the Boards of Appeal Committee and of the Committee on Patent Law (CPL) on their recent meetings. Additionally, delegations had a further exchange on the processing of divisional applications.
Finally, the Council welcomed the Office’s report on the latest Unitary Patent developments, which highlighted the milestone of having received more than 50 000 requests for unitary effect by March 2025, and noted the activities report from the delegation of Poland, the country holding the Presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2025. A brief report by the Chairperson of the Select Committee on its 33rd meeting was also noted.
Council Secretariat
33rd meeting of the Select Committee of the Administrative Council held in Munich (19 March 2025)
The Select Committee of the European Patent Organisation held its 33rd meeting in Munich on 19 March 2025 under its Chairperson Mr Jérôme DEBRULLE (BE).
The Select Committee noted the Chairperson’s report on the Select Committee governance package. The Chairperson's proposal to modernise the Committee's governance aimed to align it with the recent modernisation of the Administrative Council, while safeguarding the Committee’s special status, including the European Commission’s role as observer. Taking note of possible amendments, which relate to voting, working arrangements, publication policies and a code of conduct, the Committee endorsed the way forward based on a two-stage approach.
The Committee then noted the update by the Registrar of the Unified Patent Court (UPC), Mr Alexander RAMSAY, on the latest UPC developments and achievements to date. These include the progress made on the new Case Management System, the status of staffing at the Court, and upcoming steps to establish the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC), along with the support provided by the Office to the Centre. The Office stressed the very positive development that the UPC was taking more and more of a key role in shaping patent jurisprudence and in contributing to the further harmonisation of the interpretation of substantive patent law in Europe.
The Office outlined the significant developments relating to operational aspects of the Unitary Patent (UP) system, highlighting the statistics provided on the UP dashboard, Romania's smooth accession process, the implementation of EU sanctions against Russia, and the entry into force of the first UP Guidelines on 1 April 2025. The significant increase in UP uptake, which reached 36.5% among European proprietors for the year 2024, positively impacted member states financially, while costs remained under control. Notably, total number of requests for unitary effect exceeded 50 000 this month, with a low rejection rate of 0.1%, and interest in the UP Register has also continued to grow. Regarding the user community, the Office reported that requests for unitary effect primarily came from EU member states (52.4%), while a noticeable increase in requests was observed from IP5 countries, where the Office will continue its outreach activities. Furthermore, over a third of proprietors from EPC Contracting States requesting unitary effect were SMEs.
The Committee noted the preliminary results of the budget implementation that the Office presented for 2024, and the related distribution of fees among participating Member States. The latest financial monitoring for 2024 showed the favourable development of the UP system, with the overall uptake rate reaching 25.6%, surpassing the budgeted 20%. This is reflected in the renewal fee income, which was 27% higher than budgeted. Costs were 10% above budget due to the higher-than-expected uptake rate. The shortfall from 2023 was significantly lower than expected, resulting in the net UP income to be distributed to participating Member States being 64% higher than budgeted.
Furthermore, the Committee received an update from the Office and the European Commission regarding their respective communication and promotional activities related to the Unitary Patent scheme undertaken since the Committee’s previous meeting.
In closing, the Committee thanked the outgoing Chairperson for his excellent chairpersonship since 2013 and noted that its next meeting would take place in October 2025.
Council Secretariat
183rd meeting of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation (Munich, 24 and 25 June 2025)
The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation held its 183rd meeting in Munich in a hybrid format on 24 and 25 June 2025 under its Chairperson Josef KRATOCHVÍL (CZ).
After the Chairperson's activities report, the Council noted the Office’s Annual Review, presented with a video illustrating the Office’s major achievements for 2024 in the implementation of SP2028. The Council congratulated the President and the staff on the impressive results and welcomed the focus on concrete quality actions in dialogue with users, the positive development of the EPO funding level and the development of further KPIs. The Office’s prudent approach and strategic direction were acknowledged too, including the notable results achieved in productivity, the increase in staff engagement, the commitment to long-term financial sustainability, the progress made in digital transformation, and the deepened co-operation with national offices.
The Council decided to elect Mr Panagiotis KANELLOPOULOS (GR) as member of the Board of the Administrative Council, with effect from 24 June 2025. It also decided to appoint Ms Zane PĒTERSONE (LV) as alternate external member of the Boards of Appeal Committee for a renewable term of office of three years, with effect from 24 June 2025.
In closed session, the Council unanimously decided to launch a call for candidates for an English-speaking member of the Board of Auditors and decided on the composition and setting up of the selection board. It also agreed to decide on the re-appointment of the President of the Boards of Appeal in its October meeting. Further, the Council decided on the appointment and reappointment of chairpersons and members of the Boards of Appeal and of the Enlarged Board of Appeal, based on proposals by the President of the Boards of Appeal. Finally, the Council unanimously decided on the early termination of the lease agreement for the 8inOne building in Haar, Munich.
Turning to diversity and inclusion, the Council unanimously adopted a proposal to modernise the EPO legal framework around parenthood based on inclusivity, flexibility, and fairness. Delegations noted that the new scheme would ensure that all forms of parenthood are treated equally and provide additional support for single parents, secondary caregivers in exceptional circumstances, and families facing challenging situations.
Furthermore, the Council gave a favourable opinion on the proposal for an update of the EPO Validation Policy to reflect the evolution of the system over the past 25 years, bringing benefits for both users and partner countries, which will always be based on the Council’s authorisation prior to the launch of negotiations with potential validation partners. Various aspects of the proposal were discussed, including the proposed selection criteria for potential validation partners, financial and political considerations in fee distribution, and the importance of maintaining flexibility through a case-by-case approach.
The Council then took note of the Office’s report on the processing of divisional applications and welcomed the Office’s commitment to ensuring legal certainty, transparency, and timely handling – particularly in response to concerns about their strategic use in the health sector – while also acknowledging that most applicants use divisionals responsibly.
Turning to operational matters, the Council unanimously adopted amendments to the Service Regulations regarding change of place of employment, which aim to enhance internal mobility and work-life balance while remaining budget neutral, taking into account feasibility and existing agreements with the Office's host countries. The Council also unanimously adopted amendments to the EPO's legal framework governing the Salary Savings Plan to ensure legal consistency and simplify and modernise existing provisions.
Turning to financial matters, the Council noted the opinion of the Board of Auditors and approved their report, along with the EPO's accounts for 2024 and therefore, discharged the President under Article 80(5) FinRegs and the Fund Administrator under Article 7(1) RFPSS Regs and Article 80(4) FinRegs. The Council also noted the positive new developments in both the planned IFRS standardised operating result and in the expected cash flow, and gave a favourable opinion on the initial budgetary orientations for 2026, welcoming the Office’s prudent financial planning, digitalisation efforts, and focus on long-term sustainability.
Finally, the Council noted the reports from the chairpersons of its various advisory bodies on their recent meetings, namely of the Budget and Finance Committee, the Technical and Operational Support Committee, Supervisory Board of the Reserve Funds for Pensions and Social Security, and the Select Committee.
Regarding the Unitary Patent, the Council was updated by the Office on the latest developments and was briefed by the Registrar of the Unified Patent Court (UPC), including on the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC). It also noted the status report by the Polish and Danish delegation, the member states holding the EU presidency for the first and second half of 2025 respectively, and the intervention by the European Commission.
Council Secretariat