The State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) participated on 11–12 May 2026 in the 20th Annual Meeting on Cooperation with Member States, organized by the European Patent Organization in Split, Republic of Croatia.
The event brought together the heads of intellectual property offices from the 39 Member States of the European Patent Organization, as well as representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Moldova, with the objective of assessing the progress made within the current cooperation mechanism and establishing strategic priorities for the coming period.
The AGEPI delegation was represented by Natalia Mogol, Deputy Director, and Liliana Vieru, Head of the Promotion and International Relations Directorate.
The event was opened by Ante Šušnjar, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Croatia, and Ljiljana Kuterovac, Director General of the State Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Croatia, the host institution of the meeting. In his welcoming remarks to the participants, António Campinos, President of the European Patent Office, noted that this year’s meeting has a special significance, marking 20 years of cooperation within the European Patent Network (EPN), two decades of strengthening institutional partnerships, harmonization and joint development of the European patent system. He also underlined that 2026 is an important year for the expansion of the Organization, with the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Patent Convention, starting from 1 June 2026, as well as the prospect of the subsequent accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to the message sent by the meeting organizers, the anniversary event took place in an important strategic context for Europe, marked by the challenges of European competitiveness and the increasingly important role of the patent system in supporting innovation. In this regard, the meeting provided a platform for reflection on the long-term strategic directions of the European Patent Network and on how it can respond to new technological, economic and geopolitical developments.
The meeting agenda included sessions dedicated to the future of innovation, the impact of artificial intelligence on the activities of intellectual property offices, the modernisation of the services provided by the patent offices within the European Patent Network, as well as the development of new European services in the field. At the same time, participants examined the implementation of the new bilateral cooperation agreements, the results of the recently launched pilot projects and the strategic priorities set in accordance with the EPO Strategic Objectives for the period SP2028.
A central topic of the meeting was shaping the future of the European Patent Network for the next two decades, following discussions initiated last year on the financing of intellectual property and the role of intellectual property offices. The discussions will feed into the process of developing the prospective study “Scenarios for the Future 2025–2045”, aimed at supporting the definition of strategic priorities for European cooperation in the field of patents and innovation.
The meeting also featured discussions with international experts and representatives of the academic environment, including the Center for Intellectual Property of the University of Gothenburg, who presented perspectives on emerging trends, risks and opportunities that will influence the evolution of the European innovation ecosystem.
AGEPI's participation in this event reconfirms the commitment of the Republic of Moldova to strengthen cooperation with the European Patent Organization and to actively integrate into the European intellectual property network, including in the context of the Republic of Moldova's accession to the European Patent Convention and the Republic of Moldova's access, starting from June 1 of this year, to the intellectual property system development projects implemented within the EPN.
