Article 26

The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation held its 186th meeting in Munich on 18 and 19 March 2026, under its Chairperson Josef KRATOCHVÍL (CZ).

After the Chairperson's activities report, the Council noted the Office’s quarterly activities report, which highlighted planned actions under each of the SP2028 drivers and the robust progress made to date. The Office also reported on the launch of the EPO Technology Dashboard and the record levels of applications seen in 2025, with more than 200 000 European patent applications received for the first time in a single year.

The Council noted the high productivity and continued improvements in quality and timeliness, as well as updates on how the European Patent Network has been continuously strengthened following strategic decisions taken in 2018, including through extensive IT co-operation support. Further updates were provided on how the patent system has been made more accessible, particularly for smaller applicants, including through the promotion of the Unitary Patent. There was also an update on the strategic foresight initiative, “Scenarios for the Future 2025–2045.”

The Council noted the 2025 Management Report of the President of the Boards of Appeal (PBoA). The Council congratulated the PBoA and the Boards of Appeal (BoA) staff on the excellent results, praised the transparent, systematic and thorough reporting, and noted the value of monitoring appeal trends and outcomes over time.

The Council also noted the advance information provided by the Board of Auditors on the audit report on Votebox and welcomed the Office’s commitment to implementing the auditors’ recommendations ahead of the June Council meeting.

Turning to legal affairs, the Council unanimously approved the recommended common practices regarding double patenting and broad claims, as developed under the convergence of practice programme. It adopted the core elements of the third basket of legal changes, establishing a future-oriented framework for enabling a fully paperless patent granting process with simplified procedures that preserve legal certainty and quality.

Furthermore, the Council took note of the latest developments in the Unitary Patent (UP) system, with more than 86 000 UP requests filed since the system’s launch in June 2023 and high uptake among European SMEs, startups, micro-entities and universities. A further update was presented by the delegation of Cyprus – the country holding the Presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2026 – on its activities.

Turning to validation, the Council unanimously authorised the President to conclude a validation agreement with the Republic of Angola and, in alignment with the updated validation policy unanimously adopted by the Council in 2025, authorised the President to open negotiations with the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of El Salvador and the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe. In addition, in closed session, the Council noted the request from Georgia to be invited to accede to the EPC and that further consideration and discussions, including on governance, would be necessary.

On personnel and policy matters the Council gave a favourable opinion on the orientations for a new salary adjustment procedure, considering various aspects of the orientation, which aimed to strike a careful balance between sustainability, predictability, simplicity and fairness. Delegations underlined the importance of a safety clause enabling the Council to respond to exceptional circumstances.

The Council also unanimously adopted the revised Appeals Committee Rules of Procedure, reflecting updates since 2018 and ensuring consistency and continuity in appeals processes.

In addition, the Council unanimously decided on the individual appointments and reappointments:

The Council also unanimously decided on the appointment and reappointment of members of the BoA and of the external members of the Enlarged Board of Appeal based on recommendations by the PBoA.

Finally, the Council noted the reports from the chairpersons of its various bodies on their recent meetings, namely of the BOAC and of the Committee on Patent Law.