Brussels, 23/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - Regarded as a flagship measure in the promotion of European growth, the European patent - and the location of the Community Patent Court, deadlocked in the Council for the past six months almost - was also on the agenda for discussion at the informal meeting of heads of state and government on Wednesday 23 May, though no definite decision was expected.
It was by no means certain on Wednesday afternoon that the debate on the European patent, called for by Council President Herman Van Rompuy, to feed into European leaders' discussions on ways to boost growth, would actually take place, given the scale and urgency of the various economic issues on the table. Progress on the European unitary patent has been at a standstill since the start of December, after the United Kingdom and Germany refused to agree on the EU patent court's being based in Paris, as the Polish Presidency of the time had proposed, despite all other points, such as the rules on the use of languages, having been settled. At the end of January, Van Rompuy tried once again to break the deadlock and persuade Germany and the United Kingdom that the court should be based in Paris. This attempt, too, was in vain. Member states then pledged to find a solution by the Council at the end of June at the latest. A further Competitiveness Council next week could try to resolve the issue.
The UK would like the Community Patent Court to be headquartered in London and Germany would like it to be in Munich, while France, a source says, still expects its fellow member states to “agree on Paris”. Fresh impetus might be instilled on this issue following the election of new French President François Hollande, no progress on the matter having been possible “with an out-going president”, according to a source. The European unitary patent, which has been under discussion for more than 30 years, is expected reduce costs, mainly for translation, by up to 80%. The costs to be borne by companies can range from €11,000 to €30,000, and are particularly onerous for small businesses. (SP/transl.rt)