Representatives of the public institutions which are responsible for the enforcement of intellectual property rights, including police officers, customs inspectors, prosecutors and experts from nine countries in the region are meeting on June 6-7 in Chisinau at the Regional Seminar "intellectual property rights enforcement".

At the opening of the Regional Seminar, the representative of the EU Delegation in Chisinau, Mr. Marco Gemmer, underlined that the EU’s support for strengthening respect for IPR in Moldova started in 2010 and continued through the Moldova-EU Association Agreement negotiations.

"Intellectual property rights are an engine for the development of trade. In the EU, 38% of jobs are created by IPR intensive industries. This means that we must encourage the development and protection of intellectual property, taking into account the experience of EU countries and those of Eastern Partnership. In this respect, today's seminar is an opportunity to take best practice from the EU and regional countries to make best use the benefits of IPR for economic development. I would like to reiterate that the Association Agreement is a framework that offers support for intellectual property protection in the Republic of Moldova and we will continue this support, if we see results" said Mr. Marco Gemmer.

From his side, Mr. Xavier Vermandele, Legal Advisor at the World Intellectual Property Organization, expressed gratitude to AGEPI and to the EU Project "Support to Enforcement of the Intellectual Property Rights” in the Republic of Moldova for organizing the regional seminar which aims to strengthen respect for IPR in the Republic of Moldova, as well as the representatives of the countries attending the event.

”Intellectual property rights are an important tool which can ensure dynamic economic development. IPR enforcement needs an effective framework, because IPR compliance is required both for holders and for consumers. Thus, the public and the authorities are allies. They have to cooperate to increase the respect for IPR, "said Mr. Xavier Vermandele.

During the two day seminar, the participants are discussing topics related to international and European standards for ensuring respect for intellectual property rights, protection measures at the borders, IPR enforcement in the digital environment, voluntary measures to combat counterfeiting and piracy, national experiences from Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and Romania and raising awareness as part of the Strategy to Build Respect for IP.

The Regional Seminar is organized by AGEPI in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the European Union Project "Support to Enforcement of the Intellectual Property Rights” in the Republic of Moldova, in the context of World Anti-Counterfeiting Day.

The EU Project ”Support to Enforcement of the Intellectual Property Rights” in the Republic of Moldova is funded by the European Union and implemented by a Consortium of Archidata LLC (Italy), European Profiles S.C. (Greece) and Business and Strategies in Europe (Belgium). The project has a duration of two years and ends in November 2018.