https://www.epo.org/en/node/presidium

Presidium

Role of the Presidium

The Presidium of the Boards of Appeal is defined as an autonomous authority within the Boards of Appeal, see Rule 12b(1) EPC.

The Presidium advises the President of the Boards of Appeal on matters concerning the functioning of the Boards of Appeal in general, and, more particularly, on proposals for amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Boards of Appeal and the Rules of Procedure of the Enlarged Board of Appeal.

Composition

The Presidium consists of the President of the Boards of Appeal, who acts as Chairman, and twelve members of the Boards of Appeal, of whom six are Chairmen and six are other members.
All members of the Presidium are elected by the chairmen and members of the Boards of Appeal for two working years.

Composition of the Presidium

Allocation of cases

Before the beginning of each working year, the Presidium, extended to include all Chairmen, allocates cases to the Technical Boards of Appeal and the Legal Board of Appeal by adopting the relevant business distribution schemes.

Business distribution scheme