The Joint Conference organized by the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) took place from 18 to 20 September 2024 in Alicante, Spain. The purpose of the event was to facilitate an open and constructive dialogue between various actors in the field of plant variety rights, in order to identify new opportunities for cooperation within the EU Project “Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine” (EU4IP), focused on strengthening already existing cocooperation relationships.

The conference was attended by representatives of CPVO, EUIPO, as well as delegates from several countries, including the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine. From the Republic of Moldova, Ala Gusan, principal consultant in the Examination Division of the Patents Department of the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI), and Mihai Machidon, president of the State Commission for Variety Testing of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI).

The event began with an opening session addressing the intellectual property protection strategies from the perspective of breeders’ rights, trademarks, trade secrets and geographical indications. Topics discussed included challenges at the intersection of trademarks and plant variety rights, as well as the European Union’s future action plan on intellectual property.

The conference continued with thematic sessions dedicated to sustainability in the context of intellectual property rights. Various aspects were analysed, including the role of certification and eco-labelling, the contribution of geographical indications to promoting sustainability and the impact of plant variety protection rights on sustainable development.

Another major point of interest was the discussion of artificial intelligence (AI) and its role in the field of intellectual property. The specialists present debated the application of AI in registration processes, as well as its ethical and legal implications in the context of granting exclusive rights.

The last day of the event was dedicated to bilateral technical meetings between the CPVO and the authorities of Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. These meetings were aimed at deepening cooperation in the field of plant variety protection and discussing possible forms of technical and legal assistance in the short and medium term. During the discussions with the delegation from the Republic of Moldova, the current situation of rights in plant varieties and the development needs in this sector were analyzed.

The conference was an important opportunity to strengthen international cooperation in the field of plant variety protection and to explore new ways to support sustainability and innovation in this sector, both at European and regional level.

The participation of the delegation from the Republic of Moldova in the Conference in Alicante was possible thanks to the support provided by the EU4IP Project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the EUIPO.