The working meeting of members of the Observatory on Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (EIPR Observatory) was held on June 26 at the headquarters of the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI). It is the first meeting, in an extended format, organized after the signing on May 21, 2026 of the Interinstitutional Order on the activity of the EIPR Observatory and brought together representatives of AGEPI, the National Investigation Inspectorate of the General Police Inspectorate, the Competition Council, the Customs Service, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the State Inspectorate for Supervision of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection and the National Agency for Food Safety.

The meeting was chaired by Iulian E. Iorga, Director of AGEPI and Chairman of the EIPR Observatory, who opened the proceedings by emphasizing the importance of protecting intellectual property (IP) and the essential role of continuous cooperation to raise awareness with the view of enforcing IP rights and reducing the level of counterfeiting and piracy.

The main topics of the meeting were the actions for 2026 included in the Action Plan on the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights for the period 2026–2029, developed with the support of experts from the European Union-funded cooperation project in the field of intellectual property (EU4IP) and approved by the Interinstitutional Order signed on May 21, 2026. The document describes the strategic approach of the Republic of Moldova to strengthen the protection and enforcement of IP rights.

The actions for 2026 discussed are focused in particular on aligning customs and civil legislation in the field of intellectual property rights enforcement with the EU acquis; strengthening the methodological framework for estimation and calculation of damages; strengthening the activity of the EIPR Observatory; secure access to relevant tools in the field of intellectual property, including the tools of the EU Observatory; organizing in 2026 an information seminar on best practices in the field of awarding damages, as well as presenting the EU Guide (EMPACT) for rightholders on criminal complaints in cases of IP offences.

Another priority topic was the improvement of the statistical methodology applicable to the field of intellectual property. In this context, the statistical data reporting format developed and submitted by the European Commission was presented.

The possibility of thematic participation, as observers, of representatives of civil society, rightholders, authorized attorneys and collective management organizations was also addressed during the meeting. Following the discussions, it was decided to establish, within the EIPR Observatory, thematic working groups with the participation of the aforesaid representatives. This multi-sectoral consultative mechanism aims to use the specialized expertise and ensure the involvement of all stakeholders in the process of developing and implementing intellectual property rights enforcement measures.

The Observatory on Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights has been operating within AGEPI since 2011. The purpose of its creation was to ensure the exchange of information between the authorities responsible for monitoring the enforcement of intellectual property rights, as well as the development of reports, analytical and statistical studies in the field. At the same time, the Observatory exercises the functions of the World Trade Organization Notification Center on the implementation of the TRIPs Agreement and constitutes an efficient means of promoting the activities carried out by various authorities and institutions involved in combating the infringement of intellectual property rights.