On the sidelines of the third day of the 66th series of the General Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization, on July 10, 2025, a meeting was held between representatives of delegates from four Western Balkan Countries, Albania, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Montenegro and Serbia with Mr. Joao Negra, Executive Director of the European Union Intellectual Property Office – EUIPO, and the team for the international cooperation and partnership of this EU organization.
The delegation members presented the activities of their national intellectual property offices in the previous year, with a special focus on activities carried out in cooperation with the EUIPO, the institution responsible for trademark protection, industrial design, as well as monitoring trends in infringement of the intellectual property rights at the EU level.
Vladimir Marić, Director of the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia, and Daniela Zlatić Šutić, Asst. Director, participated in the regional cooperation meeting with the EUIPO and presented current events in the field of work of the Office with plans for the coming period.
Mr. Negrao stated that the previously announced project for the Western Balkans in the field of intellectual property, which will be financed by EU pre-accession funds and implemented by EUIPO, is also expected to start in 2026. During the presentation held by EUIPO Deputy Director General, Mr. Antonio Berengua, it was stated that the specific programs of the project will be grouped into four clusters, which will relate to support for the improvement of legislative frameworks, capacity building of employees in the national offices and the modernization of national administrations through digital tools and services, improving regional cooperation with CEFTA, as well as raising awareness among businesses about the value and importance of commercialization of intellectual property. Special focus will also be given to current trends in other areas that have an impact on the intellectual property system.