Brussels, 04/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - Italy wants to discuss again the issue, which it considers to be open, of the European patent, once the Court of Justice of Luxembourg has returned its ruling, anticipated for 8 March, on the subject. The Italian foreign minister, Franco Frattini, announced this in Brussels this week, after a meeting with the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Durão Barroso. For the European patent, the path of reinforced cooperation was started in December, after the opposition of Italy and Spain to the trilingual regime proposed (German, English and French) blocked a unanimous decision. Reinforced cooperation, which has been requested by more than 10 member states, and was launched by the Commission and approved by the Parliament at its January plenary, has still to clear the hurdle of an opinion requested of the Court of Justice as to the competent forum in the event of a dispute (it should be a question of an ad hoc European patent court). During his meeting with Barroso, Frattini is reported in the Italian press to have stressed the importance of greater cohesion in Europe, on which point he was given the full support of the Commission president: “I noted with great satisfaction that Barroso acknowledged that few countries are as pro-European as Italy. We support it with a great deal of conviction”. (Gp/transl.fl)