Modernising the EPO for excellence and sustainability

"The transformation of the EPO over the past years was instigated as a response to the growing demands of a modern global IP system. Among those challenges was a strong growth in the number of patent applications being filed. Filing rates at the five IP5 offices in Europe, Japan, Republic of Korea, China and the USA were going up every ear and annual worldwide patent applications have now surpassed three million. The EPO itself has faced a constantly growing volume of patent applications year-on-year from 2011, from both within and outside of Europe. this evolving patent landscape has been one of the fundamental drivers for change in the EPO"--Page 12