This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Agreement in trilogue meeting regarding 2018/0161(COD)'.


 
  
 
 
 

Council of the 
 
 

 European Union 
   
 
Brussels, 11 January 2019 
(OR. en) 
    5130/19 
 
Interinstitutional File: 
 
 
2018/0161(COD) 
LIMITE 
 
PI 2 

CODEC 34 
 
 
COMPET 16 
PHARM 1 
IA 3 
 
NOTE 
From: 
Presidency 
To: 
Permanent Representatives Committee 
No. prev. doc.: 
15777/18, WK 194/2019 
No. Cion doc.: 
9485/18 + ADD1 + ADD2 + ADD3 + ADD 4 
Subject: 
Proposal for a Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 469/2009 
concerning the supplementary protection certificate for medical products 
- Mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament 
 
 
I. 
INTRODUCTION 
The Commission presented the above-mentioned proposal to the Council on 28 May 2018. The 
proposed Regulation is one of the Commission's initiatives under the Single Market Strategy.  
It aims at a targeted recalibration of certain aspects of Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC) 
protection by introducing an SPC manufacturing waiver for export purposes in order to remove the 
competitive disadvantages EU-based manufacturers of generics and biosimilars are currently facing 
vis-à-vis manufacturers established outside the EU. The waiver will enable EU-based manufacturers 
of generics and biosimilars to produce them, provided their production is for export to non-EU 
countries, while their originals are still protected by an SPC within the EU.  
 
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The proposal has been intensively discussed in the Intellectual Property Working Party between 
June 2018 and 8 January 2019. Four revised texts have been prepared to find compromise solutions. 
Substantial progress was achieved but there is still no complete agreement on the text. 
The text set out in the Annex to this note reflects the outcome of this work. The Presidency has 
taken into account the positions expressed by delegations and tried to reconcile them in order to 
produce a balanced text that can be endorsed by COREPER. The text contained in the Annex 
presents, in bold underlined and strikethrough, the amendments to the text set out in 15777/18, 
which was discussed at the Working Party meeting on 8 January 2019. 
The remaining issues for discussion in COREPER, further addressed in point II. of this note,  relate 
to: 
 
the scope of the waiver; and 
 
the application in time. 
In the EP the Committee report is scheduled to be voted in JURI meeting on 24 January 2019 and to 
be approved during the plenary session in the following week. The Rapporteur Luis DE GRANDES 
PASCUAL (EPP, ES) would thereby be granted a mandate to start negotiations with the Council on 
this basis.  
II.   MAIN ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSED COMPROMISE  
Scope of the waiver: for export purposes  
Discussions  in  the  Working  Party  on  the  scope  of  the  proposal  focused  on  the  question  as  to 
whether the waiver should be extended to include not only the making for export to third countries, 
but also the making for stockpiling purposes.  
Introducing stockpiling would go beyond the scope of the Commission proposal. Strongly diverging 
views  have  been  expressed  on  this  point,  and  as  this  is  a  political  issue,  this  question  has  been 
reserved for COREPER. 
 
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Delegations who support an extension of the waiver to stockpiling argued that this would further 
improve the competitiveness of EU-based generics/biosimilars (namely faster entry into the EU 
market as of day one after the expiry of the SPC) and by that would facilitate access to affordable 
medicines for EU patients. Some of these delegations also called for the waiver to apply to intra-EU 
exports (namely from ‘protected’ Member States to ‘unprotected’ ones) in addition to third 
countries. 
Other delegations were strongly opposed to such an extension of the waiver, arguing that this would 
undermine the protection of SPC right holders in the EU and the interest of the originator industry 
and consequently their investment in research and development of innovative medicines in the EU. 
Moreover,  the  concern  was  raised  that  stockpiling  would  increase  the  risk  of  illicit  diversion  of 
generics/biosimilars to the EU market.  
The  Presidency  compromise  text  set  out  in  the  Annex  aims  at  a  balanced  approach.  Taking  into 
account  the  different  positions,  it  therefore  proposes  the  waiver  to  maintain  the  scope  of  the 
Commission  proposal  and  be  limited  to  removing  the  possible  competitive  disadvantage 
manufacturers of  generics and biosimilars face when intending to  do business  outside the EU.  In 
this  context,  the  Presidency  would  like  to  recall  that  the  production  under  the  export  waiver  will 
lead to an reinforcement of Union based supply chains of medicines, which can help a quick entry 
of  generics  and  biosimilars  into  the  EU  market  after  the    expiry  of  the  SPC(see  new  drafting  in 
recital (7)). 
Application in time (Article 5(5)) 
The application in time was a key issue in the negotiations. Broad consensus was achieved in the 
Working Party to provide for a two-phase approach, namely to apply the waiver 
1) 
up to a set date, only to SPCs that are applied for on or after the entry into force of the 
Regulation, and  
2) 
as of that date, to SPCs which have been applied for before the entry into force of this 
Regulation but which only become effective after the entry into force of this Regulation. 
 
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The connecting factor for assessing whether the waiver applies under this concept thus is the date of 
the filing of the application for the certificate. 
However, no overall consensus was reached so far on the date as of which the second requirement 
should kick in. The determination of that date, respectively the period that should elapse between 
the entry into force of the Regulation and that date, was left to COREPER.  
This period has to be set balancing the different interests involved: the need for legal certainty and 
foreseeability  for  the  SPC  holders  on  the  one  side  and  the  introduction  of  a  waiver  that  is 
economically interesting in view of the 'patent cliff" of the coming years on the other side (the term 
"patent  cliff"  refers  to  the  situation  that,  during  a  period  starting  from  2020  and  ending  in  2025, 
patent  protection  will  end  for  an  exceptionally  high  number  of  economically  important  medical 
drugs).  
In  the  discussions  in  the  Working  Party,  a  number  of  delegations  called  for  a  period  as  short  as 
possible (two to  three  years) for the second requirement to  apply  after the entry into force of the 
Regulation, whereas other delegations supported a period of five years, or even longer.  
As a compromise between those positions, the Presidency proposes a period of 3,5 years after the 
date  of  entry  into  force  of  the  Regulation.  Assuming  an  entry  into  force  of  the  Regulation  on 
1 July 2019, the date as of which the above-mentioned second criterion would apply would thus be 
1 January 20231.  
In the view of the Presidency, this compromise would achieve a fair balance between the different 
positions expressed. It would still leave a reasonable period of time to all stakeholders to adjust to 
the new legal situation, while introducing the waiver in a manner that will be economically useful in 
view  of  the  'patent  cliff'  of  the  coming  years,  since  both  the  average-length  of  SPC  coming  into 
effect after the entry into force of the Regulation (i.e. 3,5 years) and, by extension all full five-year 
SPCs, will be subject, at some point in their lifetime (i.e. as of 1 January 2023), to being covered by 
the  exception.  At  the  same  time,  this  compromise  will  ensure  that  makers  of  generics  and 
biosimilars can benefit effectively, without excessive delay from the exception. 
                                                 
1   In the final Regulation this date would be adjusted to the date corresponding to 3,5 years after 
the date of entry into force of the Regulation. 
 
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Notification obligation (information to be provided to the competent authorities and to the 
SPC holder, and information to be published) 
The Presidency compromise package on notification and information obligations seeks to meet the 
requests of many delegations in favour of a regime as simple as possible that  avoids unnecessary 
additional burden for competent patent authorities.  
The re-drafted notification requirement covers all information that certificate holders need for being 
able to ensure and monitor compliance in relation to the rights conferred by their certificates, whilst 
avoiding the disclosure of confidential or commercially sensitive information, such as the premises 
of manufacture or details of future export intentions. 
The information to be provided to the competent authority (the patent office) in the Member State 
of  making,  and  to  the  SPC  holder  in  that  Member  State,  is  identical,  and,  in  the  interest  of  fair 
competition and to  avoid  administrative burden  for the competent  authority having to  handle this 
information, all this information is to be published by that authority. 
At the last Working Party meeting on 8 January 2019, some requests for further changes were made 
regarding  the  elements  of  information  to  be  notified/published  (Article  5(3)).  However,  as  these 
requests were largely opposing each other and taking into account that the majority of delegations 
did support the compromise concept as set out in document 15777/18, no further amendments to the 
provisions  on  the  notification  obligation  were  introduced  in  the  compromise  text  set  out  in  the 
Annex to this note. 
 
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III.  CONCLUSION 
The Permanent Representatives Committee is invited to examine and, subject to any possible 
amendment that the Committee may consider necessary, endorse the text contained in the 
Annex to this Note and to grant a mandate to the Presidency on the basis of that text to start 
negotiations with the European Parliament with a view to reaching an agreement in first 
reading. 
 
 
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ANNEX 
 
Proposal for a 
REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 
amending Regulation (EC) No 469/2009 concerning the supplementary protection certificate for 
medicinal products 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 114 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, 
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee2, 
Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, 
                                                 
2  OJ C , , p. . 
 
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Whereas: 
(1)  Regulation (EC) No 469/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council3 provides that 
any product protected by a patent in the territory of a Member State and subject, prior to being 
placed on the market as a medicinal product, to an administrative authorisation procedure as 
laid down in Directive 2001/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council4 or 
Directive 2001/82/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council5, may be the subject of a 
supplementary protection certificate under the terms and conditions provided for in 
Regulation (EC) No 469/2009. 
(2)  By providing for a period of supplementary protection of up to five years, Regulation (EC) 
No 469/2009 seeks to promote, within the Union, the research and innovation that is 
necessary to develop medicinal products, and to contribute to preventing the relocation of 
pharmaceutical research outside the Union to countries that may offer greater protection. 
(3)  Since the adoption in 1992 of the predecessor to Regulation (EC) No 469/2009, markets have 
evolved significantly and there has been huge growth in the manufacture of generics and 
especially of biosimilars, in particular in countries outside the EU (‘third countries’) where 
protection does not exist or has expired. 
(4)  The absence of any exception in Regulation (EC) No 469/2009 to the protection conferred by 
a supplementary protection certificate has had the unintended consequence of preventing 
makers of generics and biosimilars established in the Union from making in the Union, even 
for the exclusive purpose of exporting to third country markets in which protection does not 
exist or has expired. A further unintended consequence is that the protection conferred by the 
certificate makes it more difficult for those makers to enter the Union market immediately 
after expiry of the certificate, given that they are not in a position to build up production 
capacity until the protection provided by the certificate has lapsed, by contrast with makers 
located in third countries where protection does not exist or has expired. 
                                                 
3  Regulation (EC) No 469/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 May 2009 
concerning the supplementary protection certificate for medicinal products (OJ L 152, 16.6.2009, 
p. 1). 
4  Directive 2001/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on the 
Community code relating to medicinal products for human use (OJ L 311, 28.11.2001, p. 67). 
5  Directive 2001/82/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on the 
Community code relating to veterinary medicinal products (OJ L 311, 28.11.2001, p. 1). 
 
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(5)  This puts makers of generics and biosimilars established in the Union at a significant 
competitive disadvantage compared with makers based in third countries that offer less or no 
protection. 
(6)  Without any intervention, the viability of makers of generics and biosimilars established in 
the Union could be under threat, with consequences for the Union’s pharmaceutical industrial 
base as a whole. 
(7)  The aim of this Regulation is to promote the competitiveness of the Union, enhancing growth 
and job creation in the internal market and contributing to a wider supply of products under 
uniform conditions, by allowing makers of generics and biosimilars established in the Union 
to make in the Union medicinal products or products for the exclusive purpose of export to 
third country markets where protection does not exist or has expired, thus also helping these 
makers to compete effectively in those third country markets. It should also complement the 
efforts of the Union’s trade policy to ensure open markets for Union-based makers of 
medicinal products or products. Over time, the Regulation should benefit the entire 
pharmaceutical sector in the Union, by allowing all players, including newcomers, to reap the 
benefits of the new opportunities opening up in the fast-changing global pharmaceutical 
market. Furthermore, the common interest in the Union would be promoted, as, through the 
reinforcement of Union-based supply chains for medicines, medicines would become, to 
some extent, more accessible to patients in the Union after the expiry of the certificate. 
(8)  In these specific and limited circumstances, and in order to create a level playing field 
between Union-based makers and third country makers, it is appropriate to restrict the 
protection conferred by a certificate so as to allow making for the exclusive purpose of export 
to third countries and any related acts in the Union strictly necessary for making or for the 
actual export itself, where such acts would otherwise require the consent of a certificate 
holder (‘related acts’). For instance, such acts may include the possession, supply, import, or 
making of products for the purpose of making a medicinal product containing that product, or 
temporary storage of the product or advertising for the exclusive purpose of export to third 
country destinations. The exception should also apply to related acts performed by third 
parties who are in a contractual relationship with the maker. 
 
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(9)  This exception should apply to a product, or a medicinal product containing that product, 
protected by a certificate. It should cover the making of the product protected by a certificate 
in the territory of a Member State and the making of the medicinal product containing that 
product. 
(10)  The exception should not cover placing the product or medicinal product containing that 
product, made for the exclusive purpose of export, on the market in the Member State where a 
certificate is in force, either directly, or indirectly after export, nor should it cover re-
importation of the product to the market of a Member State in which a certificate is in force. 
Moreover, it should not cover any act or activity for the purpose of import of products or 
medicinal products into the Union merely for the purposes of repackaging and re-exporting. It 
should not cover temporary storage of the product or medicinal product containing that 
product for any purposes other than those set out in this Regulation. 
(11)  By limiting the scope of the exception to making for the purpose of export outside the Union 
and acts strictly necessary for such making or for the actual export itself, the exception 
introduced by this Regulation should not conflict with the normal exploitation of the product 
or medicinal product containing that product in the Member State where the certificate is in 
force, namely with the core exclusive right of the certificate holder to make that product for 
the purpose of placing it on the Union market during the term of the certificate. In addition, 
the exception should not unreasonably prejudice the legitimate interests of the certificate 
holder, taking account of the legitimate interests of third parties. 
(12)  Safeguards should accompany the exception in order to increase transparency, to help the 
holder of a certificate to enforce its protection in the Union and to reduce the risk of illicit 
diversion onto the Union market during the term of the certificate. 
 
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(13)  To this end, this Regulation should impose an information obligation on the maker, namely 
the person established in the Union, on whose behalf the making of a product or medicinal 
product containing that product for the exclusive purpose of export is done (this includes the 
possibility of the person itself directly doing the making). Namely, the maker should provide 
certain information to the authority which granted the certificate in the Member State where 
the making is to take place. A common notification form should be provided for this purpose. 
The information should be provided before the making starts for the first time in that Member 
State, or before any related act prior to that making, whichever is the earlier. It should be 
updated as and when appropriate. The making and related acts, including those performed in 
Member States other than the one of making in cases where the product is protected by a 
certificate in those other Member States too, should only fall within the scope of the exception 
where the maker has sent this notification to the competent industrial property authority (or 
other designated authority) of the Member State of making and has informed the holder of the 
certificate granted in that Member State. Should making take place in more than one Member 
State, a notification should be required in each of these Member States. In the interests of 
transparency, the authority should be required to publish, as soon as possible, the information 
it receives, together with the date of notification of that information. Member States should be 
allowed to require that notifications, and updates to notifications, be subject to the payment of 
a once-off fee. This fee should be set at a level which does not exceed the administrative cost 
of processing notifications and updates. 
 
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(13a) The maker should also inform the certificate holder, through appropriate and documented 
means, of the intention to make a product or medicinal product containing that product 
pursuant to the exception, by providing the certificate holder with the same information as 
notified to the authority. That information is limited to what is necessary and appropriate for 
the certificate holder to assess whether the rights conferred by the certificate are being 
respected, and does not include confidential or commercially sensitive information. The 
information to the certificate holder may be provided by making use of the same common 
notification form, and the information provided should be updated as and when appropriate. 
(13b) Regarding related acts prior to the making, if any, the notification should list the name of the 
Member State where the first related act, which would otherwise require the consent of a 
certificate holder, is to take place, as this information is relevant to the timing of the 
notification. 
(13c) If the local marketing authorisation, or equivalent, in a specific third country, for a given 
medicinal product, is published after the notification is made, the notifcation should be 
promptly updated to include the reference number of that marketing authorisation, at the latest 
before the actual export of the medicinal product to that third country takes place. If a 
marketing authorisation or equivalent mechansim applies, but the reference number of the 
granted authorisation is not published or is pending publication, the maker should be required 
to provide, in the notification, either that reference number or the name of the third country of 
export. As a failsafe, if no marketing authorisation or equivalent applies in that country, the 
maker should then be required to provide, in the interests of transparency, the name of the 
third country of export. 
 
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(13d) For reasons of proportionality, failure to comply with these requirements regarding a third 
country would only affect exports to that country, and exports to such third country would 
thus not benefit from the exception. It should be the responsibility of the maker established in 
the Union to verify that protection does not exist or has expired in a country of export, subject 
to any limitations or exemptions in that country. A notification to an authority and the 
corresponding information to the certificate holder may be provided during the period 
following between the entry into force of the Regulation and the date on which the exception 
itself becomes applicable. 
(14)  In addition, this Regulation should impose certain due diligence requirements on the maker as 
a condition for the exception to operate. The maker should be required to inform persons 
within its supply chain in the Union, including the exporter, through appropriate and 
documented means, in particular contractual means, that the product or medicinal product 
containing that product is covered by the exception introduced by this Regulation and is 
intended for the exclusive purpose of export. A maker who failed to comply with these due 
diligence requirements would not benefit from the exception, nor would any third party 
performing a related act in the same or a different Member State where a certificate conferring 
protection for the product was in force, and the holder of the relevant certificate would 
therefore be entitled to enforce its rights under the certificate, while paying due regard to the 
general obligation, set out in Directive 2004/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the 
Council6, not to engage in abusive litigation. 
(15)  Furthermore, this Regulation should impose labelling requirements on the maker, in order to 
facilitate, by means of a logo, identification of the product or medicinal product containing 
that product as being exclusively intended for the purpose of export to third countries. The 
making and related acts should only fall outside the protection conferred by a certificate if the 
product or medicinal product containing that product is labelled in this manner. This labelling 
obligation would be without prejudice to labelling requirements of third countries. 
                                                 
6  Directive 2004/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the 
enforcement of intellectual property rights (OJ L157, 30.4.2004, p. 45). 
 
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(16)  Any act not covered by the exception introduced by this Regulation will remain within the 
scope of the protection conferred by a certificate. Any illicit diversion onto the Union market, 
during the term of the certificate, of any product or medicinal product containing that product 
made within the terms of the exception, will remain prohibited. 
(17)  This Regulation is without prejudice to the respect of other intellectual property rights that 
may protect other aspects of a medicinal product. This Regulation does not affect the 
application of Union measures that aim to prevent infringements and facilitate enforcement of 
intellectual property rights, including Directive 2004/48/EC and Regulation (EU) No 
608/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council7. Furthermore, this Regulation does 
not affect the rules on the unique identifier provided for by Directive 2001/83/EC of the 
European Parliament and of the Council and by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 
2016/161. According to Directive 2001/83/EC, medicinal products produced exclusively for 
export do not need to bear unique identifiers. 
(18)  This Regulation does not affect the application of Directives 2001/83/EC and 2001/82/EC, in 
particular the requirements related to the manufacturing authorisation of medicinal products 
manufactured for export. This includes compliance with the principles and guidelines of good 
manufacturing practices for medicinal products and the use of active substances that have 
been manufactured in accordance with good manufacturing practices for active substances 
and distributed in accordance with good distribution practices for active substances. 
                                                 
7  Regulation (EU) No 608/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 2013 
concerning customs enforcement of intellectual property rights (OJ L 181, 29.6.2013, p. 15). 
 
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(19)  To safeguard the rights of certificate holders, the exception should not apply to a certificate 
that has already entered into effect at the date of entry into force of the Regulation. In order to 
ensure that the rights of certificate holders are not excessively restricted, the exception 
provided for in this Regulation should apply to certificates that are applied for on or after the 
day of the entry into force of this Regulation. At the same time, in order to safeguard the aim 
of this Regulation, and since a certificate enters into effect a relatively long time after its date 
of filing, it is justified to bring within the scope of the Regulation, over a certain period of 
time, a certificate that was applied for before the entry into force of this Regulation, but has 
not yet entered into effect before that entry into force, and irrespective of whether or not that 
certificate has been granted before the entry into force of the Regulation. Therefore, the 
exception should apply, as from 1 January 2023, to a certificate that enters into effect as from 
that entry into force. This ‘certain period of time’ for each individual certificate that enters 
into effect after that entry into force should ensure that the exception is applied, on a 
progressive basis, to such a certificate, depending on its date of entry into effect and its 
duration. Such application of the exception would allow the holder of a granted certificate that 
is not yet in effect by the date of the entry into force of the Regulation a reasonable period of 
transition to adapt to the changed legal context, while at the same time ensuring that makers 
of generics and biosimilars can benefit effectively, without excessive delay, from the 
exception. 
(19a) An applicant for a certificate might be expected to file an application at around the same date 
in each Member State of filing. However due to differences in national procedures for 
examination of applications, the date of grant might vary significantly from one Member State 
to another, thereby creating disparities in the legal situation of the applicant in the different 
Member States where the certificate is applied for. Introducing the exception on the basis of 
the date of filing of the application for a certificate would therefore promote uniformity and 
limit this risk of disparities. 
 
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(20)  The Commission should carry out an evaluation of this Regulation. Pursuant to paragraph 22 
of the Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council of the 
European Union and the European Commission on Better Law-Making of 13 April 20168, 
that evaluation should be based on the five criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, 
coherence and added value and should provide the basis for impact assessments of possible 
further measures. The evaluation should take into account exports to outside the Union and 
the ability of generics and especially biosimilars to enter markets in the Union as soon as 
possible after a certificate lapses. In particular, this evaluation should review the effectiveness 
of the exception in the light of the aim to restore a global level playing field for generic and 
biosimilar firms in the Union and a swifter entry of generic and especially biosimilar 
medicines onto the market after a certificate lapses. It should also study the impact of the 
exception on research and production of innovative medicines in the Union by holders of 
certificates and consider the balance between the different interests at stake, including those 
of public health. 
(21)  It is necessary and appropriate for the achievement of the basic objective, of providing a level 
playing field for makers of generic and biosimilar with their competitors in third country 
markets where protection does not exist or has expired, to lay down rules restricting the 
exclusive right of a certificate holder to make the product in question during the term of the 
certificate, and also to impose certain information and labelling obligations on makers 
wishing to take advantage of those rules. This Regulation complies with the principle of 
proportionality, and does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve the objectives 
pursued, in accordance with Article 5(4) of the Treaty on European Union. 
                                                 
8  OJ L 123, 12.5.2016, p. 1. 
 
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(22)  This Regulation respects fundamental rights and observes the principles recognised by the 
Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. In particular, this Regulation seeks to 
ensure full respect for the right to property in Article 17 of the Charter by maintaining the 
core rights of the certificate, by confining the exception provided for in this Regulation to the 
making of a product or a medicinal product containing that product only for the purpose of 
export outside the Union and to the acts strictly necessary for such making or for the actual 
export itself. This exception does not go beyond what is necessary and appropriate in the light 
of the overall objective of this Regulation, which is to promote the competitiveness of the 
Union by avoiding delocalisations and allowing Union-based makers of generics and 
biosimilars to compete on fast-growing, global markets where protection does not exist or has 
already expired. Indeed, it is necessary to benefit from those positive economic effects arising 
from the exception, as otherwise the Union would risk substantially weakening its position as 
a hub for pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. It is therefore appropriate to 
introduce that exception in order to increase the competitive position of Union-based makers 
of generics and biosimilars in third countries whose markets are in any event open to 
competition, whilst leaving the scope and duration of the protection granted by the certificate 
in the Union untouched. The appropriateness of the measure is further ensured by providing 
for appropriate safeguards regulating the use of the exception. The Regulation should allow 
sufficient time for public authorities to put in place the necessary arrangements to receive and 
publish notifications, 
 
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HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
Article 1 – Amendment of Regulation (EC) No 469/2009 
Regulation (EC) No 469/2009 is amended as follows: 
(0)  in Article 1, the following point is added: 
‘(f)  ‘maker’ means the person established in the Union on whose behalf the making of a 
product or a medicinal product containing that product, for the exclusive purpose of 
export to third countries, is done;’ 
(g)  ‘a product, or a medicinal product containing that product’ means a product, or a 
product to be placed on the market as a medicinal product, protected by a certificate.’; 
(1)  Article 5 is replaced by the following: 
‘Article 5 – Effects of the certificate 
1. 
Subject to the provisions of Article 4, the certificate shall confer the same rights as conferred 
by the basic patent and shall be subject to the same limitations and the same obligations. 
2. 
By way of derogation from paragraph 1, the certificate referred to in paragraph 1 shall not 
confer protection against a particular act which would otherwise require the consent of the 
holder of the certificate referred to in Article 11 (‘the certificate holder’) if the following 
conditions are met: 
(a)  the act comprises: 
(i) 
making a product or a medicinal product containing that product, for the 
exclusive purpose of export to third countries; or 
(ii)  any related act that is strictly necessary for that making in the Union or for 
the actual export itself; 
(b)  the maker, through appropriate and documented means, notifies the authority 
referred to in Article 9(1) of the Member State where that making is to take place 
and informs the certificate holder of the information listed in paragraph 3 no later 
than three months before the start date of making in that Member State, or no later 
than three months before the first related act prior to that making that would 
 
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otherwise be prohibited by the protection conferred by a certificate, whichever is 
the earlier; 
(ba)   if the information listed in paragraph 3 changes, the maker shall notify the 
authority referred to in Article 9(1) and shall inform the certificate holder, before 
these changes take effect; 
(c)  the maker ensures that a logo, in the form set out in Annex -II, is affixed to the 
outer packaging of the product or of the product to be placed on the market as a 
medicinal product containing that product, referred to in paragraph 2(a)(i), and, 
where feasible, to its immediate packaging; 
(d)  the maker complies with the requirements of paragraph 4 and, if applicable, of 
Article 12(2). 
3. 
The information for the purposes of paragraph 2(b) shall be as follows: 
(a)  the name and address of the maker; 
(b)  the Member State where the making is to take place and the Member State where 
the first related act prior to that making is to take place; 
(c)  the number of the certificate granted in the Member State of making, and the 
number of the certificate granted in the Member State of the first related act prior 
to that making; 
(d)  (deleted) 
(e)  (deleted) 
(f) 
for medicinal products, the reference number of the marketing authorisation or 
equivalent in each third country of export or, failing that, the name of that third 
country. 
3a.  Annex -I includes a standard form that shall be used by makers for notifications to authorities 
under paragraph 2(b). 
 
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3b.  Failure to comply with the requirements of paragraph 3(f) in respect of a third country shall 
only affect exports to that country, and such exports would thus not benefit from the 
exception. 
4. 
The maker shall ensure, through appropriate and documented means, that any persons  in a 
contractual relationship with the maker who performs acts falling within paragraph 2(a)(ii) are 
is fully informed and aware of the following: 
(a)  that those acts are subject to the provisions of paragraph 2; 
(b)  that the placing on the market, import or re-import of the product referred to in 
paragraph 2(a)(i) might infringe the certificate referred to in paragraph 2 where, 
and as long as, that certificate applies. 
5. 
Paragraph 2 shall apply to certificates that are applied for on or after the entry into force of 
this Regulation. 
From 1 January 20239, paragraph 2 shall also apply to certificates that have been applied for 
before the entry into force of this Regulation and that enter into effect on or after the entry 
into force of this Regulation. 
Paragraph 2 shall not apply to certificates that enter into effect before the entry into force of 
this Regulation.’; 
(2)  in Article 11, the following paragraph is added: 
4. 
‘The authority referred to in Article 9(1) shall publish, as soon as possible, the information 
listed in Article 5(3), together with the date of notification of that information. It shall also 
publish, as soon as possible, any changes to this information notified in accordance with 
Article 5(2)(ba).’; 
                                                 
9 
Date to be replaced by the actual date of entry into force of the Regulation, plus 3,5 years. 
 
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(3)  Article 12 is replaced by the following: 
‘Article 12 – Fees 
1. 
Member States may require that the certificate be subject to the payment of annual fees. 
2. 
Member States may require that the notifications referred to in Article 5(2)(b) and (ba) be 
subject to the payment of a fee.’; 
(4)  the following Article is inserted: 
‘Article 21a – Evaluation 
No later than five years after the date referred to in Article 5(5), and every five years thereafter, 
the Commission shall carry out an evaluation of Articles 5(2) to (4) and 11 and present a report 
on the main findings to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and 
Social Committee.’; 
(5)  the Annexes to this Regulation are inserted as Annex –II and –I. 
Article 2 – Entry into force 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the 
Official Journal of the European Union
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 
Done at Brussels, 
For the European Parliament  
 
 
For the Council 
The President 
  The President 
 
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ANNEX -II 
Logo 
This logo should appear in black colour and of such size as to be sufficiently visible. 
 
 
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ANNEX -I 
Form for notification pursuant to Article 5(2)(b) 
Tick the appropriate box 
 
New notification 
 
Update of an existing notification 
(a) Name and address of the maker 
… 
(b) Member State where making is to take place and 
Member State of 
… 
Member State where first related act (if any) prior to 
making: 
making is to take place  
(Member State of 
first related act (if 
… 
any)
(c) Number of certificate granted in the Member 
Certificate of 
State of making and number of certificate granted in 
Member State of 
… 
Member State of first related act (if any) prior to 
making 
making  
(Certificate of 
Member State of 
… 
first related act (if 
any)
(d)* (deleted) 
 
(e)* (deleted) 
 
(f) for medicinal products, reference number of 
… 
marketing authorisation or equivalent in each third 
country of export, or name of third country of export 
… 
… 
*points (d) and (e) of Article 5(3) have been deleted; however, for ease of reference in the neogotiations, the 
numbering of paragraphs, both in the form above and in Article 5, is retained, but will be adjusted before 
adoption of the Regulation. In addition, the current points (a) to (f) will be re-numbered at the jurists-linguists 
stage (i.e. meaning that current point (f) will become point (d)). These changes will also be carried through in 
Article. 
 
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