Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain countries concerning restrictive measures against Iran

On 12 November 2020, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2020/1699[1] amending Council Decision 2010/413/CFSP.

The Council Decision amends the list of persons and entities subject to restrictive measures as set out in Annex II to Decision 2010/413/CFSP.

The Candidate Countries the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania[2], the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this Council Decision.

They will ensure that their national policies conform to this Council Decision.

The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it.

[1] Published on 13.11.2020 in the Official Journal of the European Union n°. L 381, p. 22.

[2] Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.



Press release by President Charles Michel on an international Treaty on Pandemics

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, today proposed an international treaty on pandemics within the framework of the World Health Organization, while participating by video message in the Special Session of the UN General Assembly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on 3 and 4 December 2020.

“The number of epidemics has multiplied in recent decades,” said President Michel.  “We knew the world was not immune to a major pandemic. Yet, we were caught off guard. This is a form of failure, and we will have to learn the lessons and draw the conclusions from it.”

When confronted with future pandemics, an international treaty, anchored in collective mobilisation and solidarity, would enable the international community to better anticipate, prepare for and manage future pandemics. The success of this collective action has been demonstrated in developing safe and effective vaccines in record time.

President Michel enumerated a number of areas such a treaty could address:

  • risk monitoring;
  • better financing and coordination of research;
  • a more efficient system of alerts and information sharing;
  • improving access to healthcare;
  • resilience: strengthening healthcare systems and securing supply chains.

“The objective is to do better,” said President Michel.  “To do better in all areas where we recognise it is in our interest to strengthen cooperation.”

President Michel has spoken with the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.  President Michel reaffirmed that the WHO is the cornerstone of international cooperation against pandemics. This treaty would complement and reinforce their efforts.  President Michel will also be sending letters to the Presidencies of the G7 and G20 to present his proposal.  Other relevant international organisations and agencies should also be involved in this process.

Speech of President Charles Michel at the Special Session of the UN General Assembly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic



Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain countries concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Libya

On 1 October 2020, the Council adopted Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/1385[1].

The Council decided that the restrictive measures concerning one person should be extended for a further period of six months, and the entries for two persons should be deleted.

The Candidate Countries the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania[2], the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia align themselves with this Council Decision.

They will ensure that their national policies conform to this Council Decision.

The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it.

[1]Published on 02.10.2020 in the Official Journal of the European Union no. L 320, p. 9.

[2]The Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.



Awareness seminar on the Registered Community Design system for Japanese users

December 03, 2020 Learning

Awareness seminar on the Registered Community Design system for Japanese users

Building on previous joint awareness events, a virtual seminar on the Registered Community Design (RCD) system was organised on 3 December 2020 by the Japan Patent Attorneys’ Association (JPAA) with the participation of panellists from the EUIPO.

The seminar covered RCD proceedings from filing to registration, design invalidity proceedings, and case-law on the concept of individual character. It also covered other issues related to design protection, such as the notion of technical function, and designs of interconnections or spare parts.

In addition, the EUIPO explained the Common Practice for Assessing Disclosure of Designs on the Internet and showed demos of DesignView and DesignClass, initiatives developed by the European Union Intellectual Property Network (EUIPN).

As part of the EUIPO’s Strategic Plan 2025, this workshop falls within Strategic Driver 1, Goal 1.1, Initiative 3, working towards the development of ‘enhanced engagement with global partners for the extension of common tools and practices’.

 



Media advisory – Press conference by President Charles Michel “Taking stock of the past year and looking forward to future challenges”

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