On March 5, 2026, the Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovations (UANIPIO/IP Office) held a discussion on the draft Roadmap for Ukraine’s accession to the EPC for 2026-2027.
As part of the process of the accession to the European Union, Ukraine is required to ensure full alignment with the EU acquis in the field of intellectual property and adequate institutional capacity for its effective enforcement and implementation. The European Patent Convention is seen as an important tool for practical convergence with European standards of patent protection and for integration into the European patent space.
UANIPIO, together with the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine (Ministry of Economy), continues a series of professional discussions, in particular on the draft Roadmap for Ukraine’s accession to the European Patent Convention (EPC) for 2026-2027.
The event was opened by Ms Olena Orliuk, Director of UANIPIO, who noted that accession to the European Patent Convention is one of Ukraine’s obligations in the process of accession to the European Union.
“Ukraine’s accession to the EPC is an important step towards European integration and part of the process of aligning the national intellectual property system with European standards. The development of the Roadmap is a practical tool for preparing Ukraine for integration into the European patent system. That is why it is extremely important to ensure a broad professional discussion of the Roadmap with the involvement of state bodies, the scientific community, academia, business, inventors, patent attorneys and other interested stakeholders. Such an open dialogue will allow to take into account the positions of key stakeholders and ensure that all participants in the system are adequately prepared for the effective implementation of this Roadmap,” emphasized Olena Orliuk.
Mr Mykola Hora, Head of the Expert Group of the Government Office for Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, emphasized:
“Participation in the European Patent Convention is one of the key elements of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and is therefore provided for in Ukraine’s negotiating positions on EU accession under Cluster 2 “Internal Market”, Chapter 7 “Intellectual Property Rights” and in the developed National Program for Adapting Ukrainian Legislation to EU Law. Therefore, I hope for the swift development and adoption of the Roadmap for Ukraine’s accession to the EPC for 2026-2027.”
Mr Bogdan Paduchak, First Deputy Director of UANIPIO, member of the working (negotiating) group on the development of Ukraine’s negotiating positions during negotiations with the EU on the signing of the Agreement on Ukraine’s accession to the EU on intellectual property law, described in his presentation the main stages that Ukraine has already gone through in the process of accession to the EU. He also provided an overview of the European Patent Convention (EPC), the European Patent Organisation and its bodies – the European Patent Office as the executive body and the Administrative Council as the supervisory body.
Participants were also presented with the current list of contracting states to the EPC, and it was emphasized that all EU Member States are parties to the European Patent Convention.
Bogdan Paduchak then presented the key steps of the Roadmap for accession to the EPC for 2026-2027, which include, in particular, analysis of the general context and strategic significance and assessment of its impact, raising awareness and consulting with stakeholders, planning legislative and institutional reforms, strengthening the status of UANIPIO as an ISA/IPEA and building capacity.
For more details, please see the presentation at the following link (in Ukrainian):
Mr Mykola Pototskyi, Deputy Director of UANIPIO, analyzed in detail the key challenges associated with Ukraine’s accession to the EPC and the tools to overcome them, competitive advantages for Ukrainian applicants, tools to support inventors, SMEs, startups and business in general and new opportunities for Ukrainian patent attorneys.
For more details, please see the presentation at the following link (in Ukrainian):
The participants in the discussion highlighted issues related to Ukraine’s future accession to the EPC to its accession to the EU, provided substantive comments and proposals on the steps presented in the Roadmap for Ukraine’s accession to the EPC and emphasized the importance of a broad discussion of issues related to the alignment of Ukraine’s IP system with European standards of legal protection of intellectual property in the process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
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More than 120 participants took part in the discussion, including representatives of:
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