Transitional provisions1, valid until 31 December 2001, relating to the Arrangements for deposit accounts and their annexes
Until 31 December 2001, the end of the transitional period for replacement of national currencies in the member states of the European Union participating in the euro area, the following transitional provisions will apply:
1. Deposit accounts will be kept in parallel in euro and in Deutsche Mark. Individual debit orders (point 6.2 of the Arrangements for deposit accounts) may be made out in euro or in Deutsche Mark. In contrast, fees falling due under the automatic debiting procedure will continue to be debited in Deutsche Mark unless the account holder files a written request with the Treasury and Accounts Directorate at the EPO in Munich for all future debits to be made in euro. A request of this kind is irrevocable and will apply to all applications in respect of which the account holder has issued an automatic debit order.
2. Payments for deposit accounts must in principle be effected in euro or in Deutsche Mark. Payments in any other currency will be accepted as long as the currency in question is freely convertible. In the case of payments made in the currency of a member state of the European Union participating in the euro area the amount of the payment will be credited to the deposit account at the euro conversion rate. Payments made in the currency of an EPC contracting state not participating in the euro area or of a non-EPC contracting state will be converted into euro, for entry on the deposit account, at the rate of exchange obtained; where the payment has been made into one of the accounts opened in the name of the European Patent Organisation in a state not participating in the euro area it will be converted at the rate of exchange pertaining on the day on which the amount was credited to the account held by the European Patent Organisation.
3. Where the administrative fee under point 6.6 of the Arrangements for deposit accounts2 is paid in DEM it shall not be less than DEM 99.75 or more than DEM 598.48.
4. Where the surcharge under point 6.8 (b) of the Arrangements for deposit accounts2 is paid in DEM it shall not be more than DEM 299.24.
5. Where the administrative fee under point 9 of the Arrangements for the automatic debiting procedure3 is debited in DEM it shall not be less than DEM 99.75 or more than DEM 1 498.17 for every decisive payment date affected.
6. Where the administrative fee under point 3.8 of the Arrangements for debiting deposit accounts by diskette4 is paid in DEM it shall not be less than DEM 299.24 or more than DEM 1 498.17.
7. Documents generated on the basis of the data carrier specifications (Annexes 1 and 2 to the Arrangements by diskette4 for debiting deposit accounts) may also be drawn up in Deutsche Mark.