A notice of meeting published by the EU Council on 29 June 2026 schedules a meeting of the Working Party on Intellectual Property for 3 July 2026 at 10:00 in the Justus Lipsius Building, Brussels. The meeting will focus on advancing negotiations on four recast proposals for Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs) and coordinating the EU position for the upcoming 8th session of the WIPO Working Group on the Development of the Lisbon System.
The Irish Presidency will present its priorities in industrial property, setting the stage for discussions. The main substantive item is an exchange of views on the four SPC recast proposals: for medicinal products (doc. 8894/23 + ADD 1-7), for plant protection products (doc. 8887/23 + ADD 1-5), for a unitary SPC for medicinal products (doc. 8869/23 + ADD 1-6), and for a unitary SPC for plant protection products (doc. 8851/23 + ADD 1-4). These proposals aim to harmonise and streamline the SPC system across the EU, which currently provides extended patent protection for certain regulated products. The recast is expected to reduce administrative burdens and legal uncertainty for pharmaceutical and agrochemical companies, potentially lowering costs for consumers by facilitating earlier market entry of generics and biosimilars. However, the proposals also raise concerns among some member states about the impact on national patent offices and the balance between innovation incentives and access to affordable medicines.
The meeting will also address EU coordination for the 8th session of the WIPO Working Group on the Development of the Lisbon System, which deals with international registration of appellations of origin and geographical indications. The EU aims to present a unified position to strengthen protection for European geographical indications globally, benefiting producers of wines, spirits, cheeses, and other regional specialties. This could enhance market access and combat counterfeiting, but may also create tensions with non-EU countries that have different systems for protecting geographical names.
Stakeholders most impacted include pharmaceutical and agrochemical companies, which rely on SPCs to recoup R&D investments; generic and biosimilar manufacturers, who face delayed market entry; producers of geographical indication products, who gain stronger international protection; and national patent offices, which may see changes in workload and procedures. The meeting is procedural in nature, with no decisions expected, but it will inform the Council's position ahead of trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament. The European Parliament adopted its position on the SPC recast in April 2024, and the Council is working towards a general approach.