The working visit of Mr. Pascal Phlix, Country Coordinator, International Cooperation Directorate, European Patent Office (EPO), to the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) took place on 22 February this year.

The purpose of the visit was to strengthen the cooperation relations between AGEPI and the EPO, to evaluate the implementation of the Co-operation Activities Program between Offices for the past two years, as well as to identify the priority directions of bilateral cooperation for the biennial 2018-2019.

The agenda of the working visit to the State Agency on Intellectual Property of the EPO representative included a meeting with the AGEPI Director General Lilia Bolocan, with which he exchanged views on the development of the cooperation framework between the Republic of Moldova and the EPO, including in the context of the implementation of the Agreement on Cooperation and Validation of European Patents between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the EPO. They also discussed about the achievements of the AGEPI-EPO Cooperation Activities Program for the years 2016-2017, as well as the priority directions of bilateral cooperation between offices for the next biennial were identified.

During the discussions, AGEPI Director General appreciated the support provided by the EPO for the organization of the International Specialized Exhibition “INFOINVENT”, 15th edition, as well as the assistance provided for the participation of the AGEPI experts during the last years in the professional training programs in the field of patent administration and examination, organized by the EPO Academy.

Pascal Phlix also had a meeting with representatives of the Patents Department, the Legal Department and the Information Technologies and e-Transformation Division, AGEPI, with whom he discussed about the need for assistance from the European Patent Office in the context of the implementation of the Agreement on Validation of European Patents in the Republic of Moldova.

The working visit ended with the commitment of AGEPI and EPO to strengthen bilateral cooperation relations with a view to developing the national system of protection of inventions and adjusting to European standards in the field.