The State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI), in cooperation with the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), with the support of the “EU4IP” and “Swiss PartnershIP Moldova” projects, organized in Chisinau, on November 27–28, 2025, the National Workshop on the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in the Republic of Moldova. The event was attended by representatives of law enforcement authorities, the judiciary, the prosecutor’s office, international experts and representatives of the private sector.

The workshop was opened by Mr. Eugeniu Rusu, Director General of AGEPI, who emphasized that the topic of the seminar is a strategic priority for the Republic of Moldova, especially in the context of the European integration process. “Strengthening the intellectual property rights enforcement mechanisms is one of the key recommendations for the Republic of Moldova in the 2025 Enlargement Report, published by the European Commission in November this year,” said Mr. Rusu.

In turn, the WTO representative, Ms. Tanuja Garde, Director of the Intellectual Property, Government Procurement and Competition Division, highlighted in her opening message the significant progress made by the Republic of Moldova in implementing the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement. She also noted that the Republic of Moldova is among the countries that excel in terms of notifications in accordance with the requirements of the TRIPS Agreement.

The EUIPO representative, Mr. Erling Vestergaard, stressed that enforcement of intellectual property rights is a major priority for all states, in the context in which piracy and counterfeiting generate considerable losses for the economy and society, and highlighted the role of the European Observatory on Infringements of IP Rights in countering these phenomena.

The experts present at the event included specialists with extensive practical experience in the field, such as:

• Kenny Wright, Intellectual Property Enforcement Expert, EU4IP Project;
• Cristiana Mocanu, Judge at the Bucharest Court of Appeal, specializing in civil litigation and intellectual property;
• Graeme Grant, Vice President of Global Content Protection, Universal Music Group;
• Giulia Ragonesi, Legal Officer, Buiding Respect for Intellectual Property Division, Global Challenges and Partnerships Sector, WIPO;
• Gabriel Turcu, Attorney, Turcu & Turcu, SNB React Representative and Vice President of the Intellectual Property Working Group (IPWG) in Romania;
• Kristi O’Malley, International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Attorney (ICHIP) and Legal Advisor,  U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Embassy in Bucharest;
• Aoife Raftery, Irish prosecutor and member of EUIPO’s Impact of Technology Expert Group, specializing in intellectual property and international financial crime cases.

The atmosphere of the workshop was interactive, with numerous discussions and extended Q&A sessions. The over 50 participants, present both physically and online, asked the experts questions on the calculation of damages, cooperation between authorities and rightholders, investigation of infringements and international good practices in the field of IP rights. These exchanges of views contributed to clarifying some essential aspects for strengthening the enforcement mechanisms in the field of intellectual property.

During the two days, specialists from the WTO, WIPO, EUIPO, experts from Ireland, Romania, Great Britain and the USA, and speakers from the Republic of Moldova presented the international, European and national framework for IPR enforcement, providing practical examples, case studies and relevant recommendations for authorities and the professional community.

The workshop ended on a positive note, with participants appreciating the extremely useful and applicable nature of the discussion and experience exchange sessions. At the same time, they expressed a clear consensus on the need to strengthen international and European cooperation in order to identify and promote best practices in the field of intellectual property rights enforcement in the Republic of Moldova.