On February 25, 2026, an information session was held with the European Commission on the practical implementation of the closing benchmarks provided to Ukraine for negotiation Clusters 2 “Internal Market” and 6 “External Relations.”
In particular, Cluster 2 covers Chapter 7 “Intellectual Property Law,” which is an important direction for harmonization with European standards and alignment of Ukrainian legislation with European Union law (EU acquis).
The Ukrainian delegation under Chapter 7 included representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine (Ministry of Economy) and the Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovations (UANIPIO), in particular:
The session under Chapter 7 was coordinated by Mykola Hora, Head of the Expert Group on Agricultural Policy, Consumer Protection and Technical Regulation at the Government Office for Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
“UANIPIO continues its systematic work on aligning the national intellectual property system with the European standards within the framework of the negotiation process on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and is ready to confirm not only its administrative capacity but also to ensure support for the effective application and enforcement of IP rights,” said Olena Orliuk, Director of UANIPIO.
During the session, representatives of the European Commission presented a detailed vision of the expectations regarding the fulfillment of closing benchmarks under Chapter 7 “Intellectual Property Law” of Cluster 2 “Internal Market.”
The European side emphasized the importance not only of formally adopting legislative changes, but also of establishing sustainable practices for their application, institutional capacity and proper law enforcement.
In addition, representatives of the European Commission provided information on the expected assessment criteria and methods for further exchange of information on Ukraine’s progress in aligning with EU law and practices under Chapter 7.
Inna Shatova spoke on behalf of the Ministry of Economy, confirming the commitments made during the negotiation process to align with the EU acquis in the intellectual property field and emphasizing the gradual implementation in alignment with the National Programme for the Adaptation of Ukrainian Legislation to the European Union Law.
The representative of the Ministry of Economy also expressed gratitude to the European side for its constant support and assistance in the process of alignment and adaptation with EU law, in particular in the context of the Ukrainian Government’s requests for accelerated integration into EU networks and platforms.
The Ukrainian side emphasized the importance of ensuring recognition and proper protection in the EU of all geographical indications registered in Ukraine, including those originating from temporarily occupied territories.
Ukraine confirmed its intention to ensure prompt accession to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement as an important step towards further alignment with EU practices in the field of geographical indications protection.
During the discussion, special attention was paid to the issue of aligning Ukrainian legislation in the field of patents with the standards of the European Patent Convention (EPC).
The Ukrainian side presented a phased approach to patent reform, which involves updating the law on patents and utility models to take into account the requirements of the EU acquis and the results of the screening, as well as preparing legislative changes to ensure full compliance with the provisions of the EPC, particularly in terms of procedure.
The preparation of a roadmap for Ukraine’s accession to the EPC was also reiterated. This roadmap is being developed with the support of the European Patent Office (EPO) and experts from the EU-funded EU4IP project.
Representatives of the European Commission emphasized the importance of continuing technical consultations with the EPO and recommended ensuring Ukraine’s accession to the EPC before its accession to the EU.
“We are already ensuring significant alignment with the substantive patent law of the European Patent Convention through the draft law and, at the same time, we are preparing a comprehensive roadmap for accession to the EPC. Our goal is to ensure the predictable and careful integration of the national patent system,” noted Bogdan Paduchak, First Deputy Director of UANIPIO.
The Ukrainian side also reported on ongoing work to align with the EU acquis in the field of copyright, in particular Directive 2014/26/EU and to improve the national collective management system.
It was emphasized that the adoption of legislative changes is only the first step and the key task remains to ensure their proper practical application, in particular the principles of good governance, transparency, accountability and IT infrastructure development.
Separately, both sides positively noted the results of the implementation of the EU4IP international technical assistance project “Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights in Armenia, Moldova, and Ukraine,” cooperation with EUIPO and EPO and emphasized the importance of further effective implementation of such cooperation measures.
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