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Serbia expected to join the UPOV in 2012
29. April 2012. | 07:20 
07:30
Source: Emg.rs
The importance for Serbia to join the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and protect plant breeders’ rights was stressed during the official opening of a conference held last week at Sava Center in Belgrade. Serbia is expected to become a member of UPOV this year.
The importance for Serbia to join the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and protect plant breeders’ rights was stressed by Dr. Jan Bocanski, Director of the Plant Protection Directorate, during the official opening of a conference held last week at Sava Center in Belgrade. He also mentioned that Serbia is expected to become a member of UPOV this year.
The conference was co-hosted by Serbia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry and Water Management, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, GIZ, and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Agribusiness Project.
UPOV is an international body with 70 member nations that jointly work to protect new plant varieties as intellectual property.
“UPOV membership requires a lot of effort, new rules and regulations, but it will ultimately put Serbia in a better situation on the global market and help attract foreign investments to Serbia” said Adri De Roo, Agricultural Counselor at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
“Now that the plant breeders can be assured that their rights will be protected in Serbia, Serbian producers will have access to the newest and best varieties that are in high demand in international markets. Serbian exporters will also be able to demand higher prices,” said Rebecca Krzywda, USAID’s Senior Office Director.
The aim of the conference was to raise awareness about the importance of UPOV membership, promote an understanding of plant breeders’ rights, review enforcement issues, and highlight best practices and case studies. Experts from Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Netherlands also spoke at the event and presented best practices from their countries.
Serbia adopted the Law on Protection of Plant Breeders' Rights in 2009, upholding the principles of the UPOV Convention and the WTO Agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights. The adoption and implementation of this law is a precondition for Serbia's membership in the UPOV.
For further information, kindly contact: Ana Martinovic, USAID Agribusiness Project Communication Advisor, +381-11 243-6611 or
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