The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) hosted from 22 to 24 October 2025 at its headquarters in Alicante, Spain, the Liaison Meetings on Cooperation, Trademarks and Industrial Designs.

The event brought together over 140 representatives of national and regional intellectual property offices from the Member States of the European Union, candidate countries and EFTA members, as well as representatives of user associations and other stakeholders, to examine the latest technical, operational and cooperation developments in the field of intellectual property.

The State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) was represented at the meeting by the Head of the Communication, International Relations and European Integration Directorate, Liliana Vieru, and the Deputy Head of the Trademarks and Industrial Design Directorate, Victoria Pulbere.

This year’s edition was special, being the last in the current format, with the Liaison Meetings to be replaced by the new “Cooperation Board” from 2026, a structure established under the EUIPO 2030 Strategic Plan.

The discussions focused on the launch of the new generation of European cooperation projects, on cooperation relations with Japan and South Korea, as well as on the new assistance instrument for CEFTA countries, of which the Republic of Moldova is a party. The introduction of the European system of geographical indications for craft and industrial products, which will enter into force on 1 December 2025, was also discussed.

The meetings also addressed other topics of major interest to the EUIPO and the national intellectual property offices of the Member States and candidate countries, including the implementation of the convergence programme, in particular the state of adoption of the new common practices in the field of trademarks, the governance and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) within the EUIPN network, as well as the use of AI in the examination of IP applications and the development of AI-based services for users.

Aspects of the role of AI in the field of industrial designs, the progress of the European project ECP3 – Emerging Technologies: Data Workstream, as well as the transposition of the Designs Directive and the harmonisation of common standards for their representation were also discussed.

In the context of cooperation with the accession candidate countries, the Liaison Meetings constitute an important platform for dialogue and exchange of experience, through which the intellectual property offices of these states can familiarize themselves with the European intellectual property protection system.

The participation of the AGEPI delegation in the Liaison Meetings provided the opportunity to strengthen the dialogue with European partners, to share good practices and to valorize the new digital tools and cooperation initiatives promoted by the EUIPO, for the benefit of the development of the national intellectual property system of the Republic of Moldova.