Update on cancellation of the EQEs

Following representations to the EPO’s EQE Supervisory Board, it has been confirmed to CIPA this morning that the EQEs have been cancelled as a result of the spread of coronavirus.

The EPO said that the decision was not an easy one and was taken as a preventative measure related to the very serious public health risks posed by COVID-19. Like CIPA, the EPO is fully aware of the inconvenience that this situation creates and, most of all, the effect that it will have on the personal and professional lives of candidates.

The EPO has told us that the Supervisory Board, with the support of the EQE Secretariat, will continue to monitor health and safety conditions posed by COVID-19 in order to explore options to hold the exams later in this year.

We are grateful to the EPO for this clarification and confirmation and we remain committed to work with the EQE Secretariat to ensure that whatever arrangements are put in place are sensible in relation to, for example, the UK exam timetable.

Date Published: 6 March 2020