The EPO and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to intensify their co-operation in the patent field

16 March 2012

On his first official visit to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, EPO President Benoît Battistelli met high official representatives of the country, including Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Peshevski, Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Poposki and Economy Minister Valon Saracini. He also took the opportunity to conduct an exhaustive overview of bilateral co-operation activities with Safet Emruli, Director of the State Office for Industrial Property (SOIP).

"The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia joined the European Patent Organisation only three years ago, but it has already undertaken a complete reshaping of its legal intellectual property framework, to bring it up to the highest standards", said President Battistelli. He added: "The implementation and enforcement phase has begun, and there the EPO can bring its expertise in the patent field to bear in supporting SOIP's activities through the bilateral co-operation plan."

SOIP Director Emruli emphasised: "We believe this visit will strengthen our co-operation with the EPO, through the involvement of the highest national authorities of our country. SOIP's role as a co-ordinator will be reinforced, and we will do our best to drive forward the process that will lead us towards a knowledge-based economy. We particularly appreciate the new co-operation policy, based on the principle of solidarity, which has been defined under the leadership of President Battistelli."

The EPO intends to engage in a whole range of activities with SOIP under the new co-operation roadmap, including professional training, the strengthening of university networks and the development of e-tools for patent information dissemination.

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia became the 35th member state of the European Patent Organisation on 1 January 2009. It has also ratified the London Agreement, which entered into force there on 1 February 2012.