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.

 

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

• "EPO employment proposal halted" (IPPro Patents, 22-02-2018). Translation is available in French.

• "Europe's Unified Patent Court fate in the balance amid German probing (yes, Brexit is in the mix)" (The Register, 22-02-2018). Translation is available in French.

• "Administrative Council deliberates EPO’s employment plan" (WIPR, 21-02-2018). Behind a Paywall ! Translation is available in French.

• "Constitutional Law Alert for the EPO" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 19-02-2018).

• "Latest EPO employment proposals under fire" (IPPro Patents, 15-02-2018). Translation is available in French.

• "The EPO’s Vision (II) – “expert, well supported and motivated staff”" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 14-02-2018). Translation is available in French.

• "The EPO’s Vision and Reality (I)" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 11-02-2018). Translations are available in German and French.

An article and a lecture by Prof. Dr. Siegfried Broß, former judge at the German Federal Constitutional Court of Karlsruhe.

Both documents incidentally also deal with the employment situation of staff members of international organisations.
 

Interview German	„Der moderne Rechtsstaat wird zur Farce"
Interview English	“The modern constitutional state becomes a farce"
Press article German	"EPÜ, EPG und das Grundgesetz"
Press article English	"European Patent Convention, Unified Patent Court and the German Basic Law"
Press article French translation (version .pdf)	La Convention sur le brevet européen (CBE), la juridiction unifiée du brevet et la loi fondamentale (Grundgesetz) allemande

 

 

Bayerischer Landtag Veröffentlichung vom 06 Februar 2018.

Unabhängigkeit der Beschwerdekammern im Europäischen Patentamt sicherstellen

Translations are available in English and French.

This document provides a non-exhaustive list of some articles, blog posts or videos published in December 2017 (sorted in reverse chronological order, not necessarily by relevance). Latest additions are highlighted in yellow:

• "More Flexible Investment Guidelines for the European Patent Office" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 31-01-2018). Translations are available in German and French.

• "ILO Administrative Tribunal dismisses complaints against EPO president" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 30-01-2018). Translations are available in German and French.

• "EPO reforms feeding through to grant, backlog and opposition numbers, data analysis reveals" (IAM, 29-01-2018).

• "'Nieuwe misstanden bij Europees Octrooibureau'" (Nu.nl, 29-01-2018). Translations are available in English, German and French.

• "FNV: ‘Europees Octrooibureau schendt rechten werknemers’" (Rijswijks Dagblad, 28-01-2018). Translations are available in English, German and French.

• " 'Weer misstanden bij Europees Octrooibureau' " (Omroepwest.nl, 26-01-2018). Translations are available in English, German and French.

• "‘Rutte grijp in bij Europees Octrooibureau om schending rechten werknemers’" (FNV, 26-01-2018). Translations are available in English, German and French.

• "EPO judge subject to “forced transfer”" (IPPro Patents, 25-01-2018). Translations are available in German and French.

• "EPO Oppositions newsletter" (Haseltine Lake LLP, 10-01-2018). To download click here.

• "EPO completes Directorate General merger" (IPPro Patents, 10-01-2018). Translations are available in German and French.

• "EPO unrest – again – and Unitary Patent dominate list of most popular posts in 2017" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 08-01-2018). Translations are available in German and French.