News archive - EC Proposes Enhanced Co-operation on EU patent
Following discussion of the new EU patent system at the Competitiveness Council on 10 December, the EC has published a proposal to initiate instead an ‘enhanced co-operation’ agreement for a proportion of Member States.
The proposal was presented at the request of 12 Member States (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom) and arises from the opposition of some Member States to earlier plans for the development of a full EU patent. ‘Enhanced co-operation’ is an aspect of EU legislation that allows those countries of the EU that wish to work together to do so, while respecting the single institutional framework of the Union. It also leaves open the possibility for others to join at a later stage if they wish to.
The proposed decision to authorise enhanced co-operation on unitary patent protection needs to be approved by the EU’s Council of Ministers by qualified majority, after the consent of the EP. The Hungarian Presidency will be tasked with taking forward the discussions in early 2011.
Further information: EC press release IP/10/1714 of 14 December 2010 is available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/
Source: UKRO Newsletter of January 2011.
- European Union (EU 27)
Entry created by Katarina Rohsmann on February 1, 2011
Modified on February 1, 2011
