Brussels, 02/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - José Manuel Barroso has officially replied to the request from the European Parliament to relaunch the legislative procedure on the very controversial draft directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions. The Council reached a political agreement on the proposal in June 2004 but by following the recommendation from the Conference of Presidents of the political groups at the European Parliament, President Borrell called on the European Commission to ask parliament for this proposal again, which the EP regulation would have allowed for if elections at parliament had not taken place in the mean time (EUROPE 18 February p 12).
In a letter to president Borrell (dated 25 February), president Barroso indicates that “the Commission does not intend to refer a new proposal to Parliament and Council. Indeed the Commission is expecting the Council to formalise the political agreement as a common position as soon as possible”. (EUROPE 22 February, p 15 on the subject of the Commission's invitation to the Competitiveness Council on 7 March for formally adopting a common position). In his letter, Barroso affirms that the Commission will be prepared at the second reading to “review all the arguments and positions expressed” on the proposal.