Pre-Council celebration event on the occasion of 100^th Council meeting

In advance of C100 in Nice, a celebration event of the 100 epi Council meeting took place in the afternoon of 7 November 2025 in the hotel “Le Meridien” in Nice.

The event started with a memorable retrospective of the history and look into the future of the Institute.

Two of the longest serving members John Brown and Axel Casalonga shared their memories of the first Council Meeting of April 1978 and were followed by a panel of no less than 10 past and present presidents (including three contributing a video message). Each of them shared memorable events and developments during his or her tenure, ranging from the founding of epi, the creation of EQE and professional training; opening towards east following the fall of the Berlin wall; representation before the UPC; and much more. Combined, they displayed an impressive picture of an Institute born out of the void, and which has evolved to become a powerful and respected player in the European and worldwide patent systems.

The event continued with satirical look into the future, performed by two highly committed members of the younger generation of epi, Anna Gudmundsdottir and Christian Mohr, wherein a carbon-based president struggled with AI-powered cyber-entity, which ultimately was driven into system failure by a plethora of motions by unruly Council members.

The event concluded with remarks of the EPO Vice-President Christoph Ernst, who emphasised the good and valuable collaboration between EPO and epi, followed by concluding words by our President Peter R. Thomsen.

A special celebration that will certainly be remembered in the history of the Institute and has created unforgettable moments.