4 10 Information - European Patent Institute

122 Council Meeting Information 4/2010
taken, with their prior agreement, to interview
the respective chairs of the AC, CPL, TOSC and
BFC. These initiatives on the part of the epi were
positively and favourably received by the interviewees.
(See report in this issue).
(viii)He had attended a meeting of the Task Group on
possible reform of the organisation of the epi
(see report in this issue of the pre-meeting
before the Council Meeting, and below in this
report).
(ix) A letter to National Associations regarding a
comparison between procedures in the EPO
Boards of Appeal and National Courts had been
sent.
(x) He had attended the fifth Meeting of the Academy
Advisory Board (AAB), which discussed how
to achieve a proper advisory function for the
AAB.
Council noted the report.
7. The Secretary General gave his report.
(i) Membership was now about 10100, with
Members from the latest Member State, Serbia
(RS), to be added to the total list of members.
(ii) The EPO President had, as he is required to do,
on a proposal from the National Office,
appointed two members of the San Marino
delegation to the epi Council. However, neither
had appeared at the meeting, and no explanation
for their absence had been given.
(iii) Regarding the Secretariat, Ms Claudia
Schweiger had now been employed as an assistant
to the Board primarily to assist it and Council
at and before Council Meetings in all administrative
aspects.
The post of bookkeeper/accountant is at the
moment filled on a temporary basis. The post is
advertised in a local (Munich) newspaper and via an
internet portal.
The following next epi meetings are scheduled for:
19 March 2011, 84 th Board, Budapest (HU)
23-24 May 2011, 70 th Council Meeting, Dublin (IE)
5 November 2011, 71 st Council Meeting,
Darmstadt (DE)
8. Report of the epi Task Group on reorganization
Mr Speiser (DE) reported on the work of the Group in
response to President Finnilä’s proposals of June
2010. This provoked a long and animated debate
(see fuller report of the Council pre-meeting on 19 th
November 2010 in this issue).
(1) During the debate a motion that funds up to
E 150,000 should be made available to the
Secretary General to hire a professional qualified
Member of staff to support the work of the
Committees, particularly the chairs was put to
vote. The motion was carried. Council also
rejected a motion that is was necessary to reduce
the size of Council in 2014.
(2) Following on from this, and from a discussion
that the Board should be abolished in favour of
an enhanced Presidium, Council voted in favour
of the size of the Board being reduced as of 2014
within the limits set in the Founding Regulation.
(3) Council then rejected a motion that the size of
the Board be reduced, for the term of the next
Council (i.e from May 2011) to the minimum
number prescribed in the Founding Regulation.
(4) Council then voted „Yes“ to the question of
whether Council foresaw any problem if a Board
member is prevented from attending a Board
meeting.
(5) The Task Group had put forward propositions for
reducing the number of committee Members
without sacrificing input from required national
groups and to provide the required number of
active Committee members (see report of premeeting).
After much discussion, Council rejected the
propositions en bloc.
The Task Group having completed its work,
Council disbanded it, the President having
thanked it for its work in reviewing his proposals.
9. Succession
This being the last Meeting of the current Council,
the President indicated that if elected by their
respective constituents, he and Mr Quintelier would
stand again for their present respective posts of
President and Treasurer. Ms Arkan had indicated
that she would stand down as a Vice-president, so
would Mr Maué as Secretary General.
At the invitation of the President Ms Leißler-
Gerstl (DE) said that if elected by her constituency,
she would be willing to stand for election as a
Vice-President in the next Council.
10. Various papers for opinion and Decision were
approved, Mr Leyder’s motion concerning provision
of a précis of papers over a certain length in epi
Information being withdrawn on the basis that the
Editorial committee would consider each case as it
arose. A discussion on rules for epi students was
deferred to a future meeting, as was discussion for a
proposal for a long term epi educational plan.
There being no other business the President
thanked all those leaving this Council for their work
over the preceding three years, to warm applause,
and closed the meeting at 6.00 pm.