The Republic of Moldova accedes to the European Patent Convention
1. Accession to the EPC
On 25 March 2026, the Government of the Republic of Moldova (MD) deposited its instrument of accession to the European Patent Convention (EPC).
The EPC will accordingly enter into force for the Republic of Moldova on 1 June 2026.
The European Patent Organisation will thus comprise the following 40 member states as from 1 June 2026:
Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, North Macedonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Republic of Moldova, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Kingdom.
2. Effect of MD’s accession to the EPC on European patent application
European patent applications filed on or after 1 June 2026 will include the designation of the new contracting state. It will not be possible to designate the Republic of Moldova retroactively in applications filed before that date.