25 November 2003: Intellectual Property Rights Seminar, Skopje

 A seminar on Intellectual Property Rights in Europe took place in Skopje today under the EC-funded CARDS Regional Programme on Intellectual Property Rights managed by the European Commission.

The CARDS Regional Programme is intended to improve co-operation between the five CARDS countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, and FYR Macedonia) in the context of their intellectual property (IP) institutions. The aim is to enhance their technical ability to support and protect holders of industrial and IP rights at national level while at the same time harmonising IP legislation in compliance with the WTO TRIPS Agreement. By using the Stabilisation and Association Process to strengthen the enforcement of IP rights by judicial authorities and to promote general awareness of IP rights, this project will help the countries of the region to move towards harmonisation with the EU acquis communautaires.

Improved enforcement of IP rights is regarded as one of the key priorities for a functional market economy, which provides an enabling environment for innovation, growth, employment and global competitiveness in the region.

The main institutions involved in this project are those concerned with intellectual property rights, such as Macedonia's Industrial Property Protection Office under the Ministry of the Economy.

Seminars and workshops on legal harmonisation, enhancing the capabilities of IP institutions and the promotion of general IP awareness are due to take place in the five countries over the next three years of the duration of this project. The total budget amounts to EUR 2.25m.

Initial comparative assessments will be conducted to determine the operational capabilities and development needs of national IP institutions, and also to evaluate the state of IP legislation and its implementation.