Position of ECHR President Guido Raimondi on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights on international Civil Service law.

• The originally written French-language text of the speech is available here.

• The English translation of the speech is available here.

The originally written French text as well as the English translation are both in .pdf format.

Author: Mr. Robin Silverstein
Publication Date: 2017
 
This paper focuses on the tensions between the privileges and immunities of intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and the human rights of IGO staff members, and, more specifically, on the consistency of IGO internal justice systems (IJSs) with the human right to a fair hearing. As some of the more established IGOs enter their seventh decade of existence, more attention is being paid to deficiencies in their IJSs.
 
IGO staff members are required to first litigate staff grievances through an IJS before seeking relief before domestic courts. IGOs are immune from suits in domestic courts, so such courts will typically decline to exercise jurisdiction. This leaves IGO staff members in the lurch.
 
This paper tracks the development of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and United Nations (UN) IJSs. It assesses the consistency of these two IJSs with European court jurisprudence on the right to a fair trial. The paper concludes that WTO and UN IGO staff members are effectively being deprived of their right to have their civil rights and obligations determined before an independent and impartial tribunal. It concludes with a call for domestic courts, states and civil society to join together to pressure IGOs to bring their IJSs into conformity with the contours of the human right to a fair hearing.

• A link to the Michigan State University College of Law - International Law Review (MSUILR) can be found here.

• A link to Mr. Robin Silverstein's online publication can be found here.

• A .pdf version of Mr. Robin Silverstein's publication is available here.

This document provides a non-exhaustive list of some articles, blog posts or videos published in April 2018 (sorted in reverse chronological order, not necessarily by relevance). Latest additions are highlighted in yellow:
 

• "On Ice And On Edge" (Juve.de, 01-03-2018). JUVE nr 03 April 2018 - Article on the EPO with an interesting survey - see page 7 to 12. The English .pdf version of page 7 to 12 is available here. The French translation of the .pdf version p.7 to p.12 is available here.
   

Other press articles published related to Work/Labour - UPC - Unitary Patent - ILOAT etc.,

This document provides a non-exhaustive list of some articles, blog posts or videos published in March 2018 (sorted in reverse chronological order, not necessarily by relevance). Latest additions are highlighted in yellow:

• "The EPO’s Vision (V) – Trust" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 31-03-2018). French translation is available here.

• "Liberaler Mittelstand fürchtet Patentflut & Qualitätsmangel" (rundschau.de, 23.03.2018). Translations are available in English and French.

• "WIPR survey: EPO patent quality is endangered, claim readers" (WIPR, 26-03-2018).

• "Judicial Independence – The CJEU’s view" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 20-03-2018). French translation available here.

• "The EPO’s Vision (IV) – Efficiency" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 18-03-2018). French translation available here.

• "Europäisches Patentamt: Patentprüfer rebellieren gegen Qualitätsverluste" (Heise.de, 16-03-2018).

• "Patent quality endangered by EPO management, claim examiners" (WIPR, 16-03-2018). French translation available here.

• "Quarter of EPO examiners sign petition against product targets" (IPPro Patents, 15-03-2018). French translation available here.

• "Patent quality has fallen, confirm Euro examiners" (The Register, 15-03-2018). French translation available here.

• "EPO staff committee argues against publication review" (IPPro Patents, 14-03-2018). French translation available here.

• "EPO patent grants up in 2017" (IPPro Patents, 07-03-2018). French translation available here.

• "Controversial EPO employment provision dropped" (WIPR, 06-03-2018).

• "The EPO’s Vision (III) – Quality" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 05-03-2018). French translation available here.

• "SUEPO blasts EPO employment proposal" (IPPro Patents, 05-03-2018). French translation available here.

• "EPO stops CSC publication" (IPPro Patents, 02-03-2018). French translation available here.

• "Now Europe's largest trade union squeezes Euro Patent Office's pips" (The Register, 01-03-2018). French translation available here.

• "USF highlights “shocking events” at EPO" (IPPro Patents, 01-03-2018). French translation available here.

Other press articles published related to Work/Labour - UPC - Unitary Patent - ILOAT etc.,

• "Stjerna: Unitary Patent system lacks envisaged advantages" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 15-03-2018). French translation available here.

• "AfD will Gesetze zum europäischen Patent­recht aufheben" (Deutscher Bundestag. 06-03-2018).

• "Why the roots of patent trolling may be in the patent office" (Arstechnica, 05-03-2018).

Question parlementaire avec demande de réponse écrite du Premier ministre posée au Sénat Français par Monsieur Jean-Yves Leconte, Sénateur FR représentant les Français établis hors de France concernant le respect des principes de la charte sociale européenne.
 

• Lien vers le site du Sénat français, question écrite n° 03835 de M. Jean-Yves Leconte

 

• Lien vers le site du sénateur français M. Jean-Yves Leconte

 

• Respecting the principles of the European social charter

  Addressed to the Prime Minister has been forwarded to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
  Published on: 15/03/2018
  English translation available, here.

 

• Einhaltung der Prinzipien der Europäischen Sozialcharta

  gerichtet an den Herrn Premierminister, wurde an den Herrn Minister für Europa und ausländische Angelegenheiten übergeben.
  Veröffentlicht am: 15.03.2018
  German translation available, here.

 

FICSA, the Federation of International Civil Servants' Association is a federated group of 29 staff associations/unions from organizations belonging to the United Nations common system. Eighteen staff associations/unions outside the common system have associate status. Fifteen staff associations/unions are consultative members and 22 Federations of United Nations Staff Associations (FUNSA) are observers.

The Federation of International Civil Servants' Association (FICSA) mentions anew the worrisome situation at the European Patent Office.

Report of the Executive Committee to the 71st session of the FICSA Council

• ExCom Report 2018 - See in particular § 56 to 59 (starting page 16/53). French translation of § 56 to 59 available here.

FICSA secretariat, Palais des Nations
Office Dep. 201, CH-1211 Geneva 10
Tel.  (41)  (0) 22 917 3150
Fax.  (41) (0) 22 917 0660
Email: ficsa@unog.ch
Web:  http://www.ficsa.org
 

Working conditions at the European Patent Office

Working conditions at the European Patent Office (EPO) have been the subject of persistent criticism for years now. For more information, read here (French translation of the QP, see here).

Visit Mrs Rina Ronja Kari's official website at the European Parliament here (to view the Q & A scroll down to Parliamentary Questions).

SUEPO Munich calls for a demonstration on the first day of the upcoming meeting of the Administrative Council on Wednesday 21 March at 12:30h in front of the Isar building. The aim of the demonstration is to appeal to the Council not to accept proposed changes in the working conditions that will hamper the ability of the Office to recruit the highly qualified staff it needs.

In its next session on 13 March 2018, starting at 12.30h, the EU Committee of the Bavarian Parliament will discuss a motion from the "Freie Wähler" that calls upon the German government to use its influence at national and European level to ensure the independence of the EPO Boards of Appeal.

Read more, here. (link to motion)

Your SUEPO Munich committee

link to motion (previous announcement on our website):
https://suepo.org

Letter from USF President to ALL 38 EPO Delegations

• The original USF letter .pdf version in English is available here.

• The original USF letter .pdf version in French is available here.

 

See News Ticker USF Website

 

Shocking events around social policy and rule of law issues at the EPO

[extract from the USF LETTER to ALL 38 EPO DELEGATIONS]

USF is the largest Federation of unions in the European international public service and has been following with great concern the situation at the European Patent Office (EPO) which deserves to be labelled as extreme. A number of shocking events around social policy and rule of law issues at the EPO were reported upon in various media over the last few years. These reports also reveal fundamental flaws in the institutional setup of the EPO taken in combination with its assigned jurisdiction, the ILOAT.