The management of the Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovations (UANIPIO/IP Office) participated in the annual stakeholders event of the EU-funded EU4IP international technical assistance project “Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights: Enlargement and Partnership” (EU4IP), which took place on March 16-18, 2026, in Alicante, Spain.
During the event, organized by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the EU4IP,participants discussed the results achieved and future priorities for cooperation within the EU4IP project and identified key directions for the development of cooperation in the IP sphere in the context of the European integration of the partner countries.
UANIPIO was represented at the event by:
The Ukrainian delegation also included Mykola Hora, Head of the Expert Group at the Government Office for Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
A strong IP system is the basis for innovation, competitiveness and investment. That is why EU4IP remains one of the top priorities of EUIPO’s cooperation agenda. This was emphasized by João Negrão, Executive Director of EUIPO.
According to him, one of the most notable events of the meeting was the signing of the new Working Plan for 2026–2027 to implement the Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral cooperation between UANIPIO and EUIPO. Particularly, for Ukraine this step directly contributes to the process of EU accession and integration into the Single Market.
Olena Orliuk and João Negrão
Olena Orliuk expressed her gratitude to João Negrão for his consistent and reliable support of the Ukrainian IP Office. The Director of UANIPIO thanked partners from the European Commission and EUIPO for their sustained support of Ukraine and its IP system, as well as all colleagues involved in the implementation of the EU4IP project and welcomed representatives of the State Agency on Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova (AGEPI) and partners from Armenia, who are participating in the EU4IP stakeholder event for the first time.
The Director of UANIPIO noted that despite russia’s escalation during the winter, the Ukrainian IP Office continued to work daily on the development of the national intellectual property strategy and the preparation of Ukraine for EU membership.
“This work is not easy. Sometimes our team has to work under air raid alerts, attacks by russian and Iranian drones, power outages and other challenges caused by russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. But even under such conditions, our experts remain fully committed to their work and to the reforms necessary for our European future,” emphasized Olena Orliuk.
She also noted that last year, the Ukrainian IP Office entered the TOP-20 intellectual property offices globally in the WTR IP Office Innovation Ranking.
“This is an important signal for our team. At the same time, I would like to point out that this success is not ours alone. It is also the result of a strong partnership and support from the EUIPO and the EU4IP project, which assist not only our Office but the entire intellectual property ecosystem in Ukraine,” thenoted Olena Orliuk.
Among our key priorities outlined by Olena Orliuk are digitalization and the development of modern IT infrastructure. This is particularly important in view of Ukraine’s future alignment with the IP registration models used in the EU. According to her, the support provided by EUIPO and EU4IP in this area is extremely valuable to us.
“Additionally, we are interested in further participation in the work of the EUIPO Observatory, as well as in opportunities for cooperation through the IP Enforcement Portal. We are also considering a number of other ideas for broader cooperation,” summarized Olena Orliuk.
Bogdan Paduchak and Vladyslav Bilotskyi also highlighted Ukraine’s key achievements within the EU4IP project – ranging from strengthening institutional capacity to international cooperation and partnership.
Mykola Hora outlined the overall status and key elements of Ukraine’s European integration process in the context of EU accession negotiations.
Particular attention was paid to preparing Ukraine’s negotiating position on Chapter 7 “Intellectual Property Law” as well as to the role of the National Programme for Adapting Ukrainian Legislation to the EU acquis as a key instrument for reform planning.
For reference:
The EU-funded EU4IP project in cooperation with EUIPO aims to strengthen the legal protection and law enforcement of IP rights in Ukraine, Moldova and Armenia, to develop the institutional capacity of national offices in the IP sphere and to support the use of intellectual property as a tool for economic growth, innovation and increasing investment attractiveness.
Strengthening cooperation with EUIPO is a recommendation from the European Commission, as outlined in the Reports on Ukraine’s progress within the framework of the European Union’s Enlargement Package.
The implementation of the EU4IP project’s initiatives contributes to Ukraine’s fulfillment of the commitments within the EU accession process, particularly in terms of preparation for negotiations and alignment with the EU acquis under negotiation Chapter 7 “Intellectual Property Law.”
Photo: EUIPO
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