Adoption of the agreement between the EPO and the INNORPI

On Tuesday, 16 February 2015, the Tunisian Parliament adopted in plenary the draft law approving the agreement between Tunisia and the European Patent Office (EPO).
This agreement, signed on 3 July 2014 by the EPO President and the Tunisian Minister of Industry, states that European patent applicants and proprietors will be able, upon payment of a validation fee, to validate the legal effects of their European patents and applications on Tunisian territory. Accordingly, a European patent which is validated in Tunisia will have the same legal status as a patent granted under the Tunisian Patent Law without re-examination of the European patent application by INNORPI.
This agreement was adopted but is not yet entered into force.