Our mission: to protect new plant varieties in Europe.

The protection of plant varieties is a specific form of industrial property law applied in various countries throughout the world. The objective is to encourage and to promote the creation of new plant varieties and to improve the quality of products for the benefit of consumers.

In operation since 1995, the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) is a European Union agency responsible for implementing a system for the protection of plant varieties.

Unique in its kind, the Community protection system managed by the CPVO contributes high value-added service. This technical and legal approach ensures that breeders are protected throughout the entire European Union. All botanical taxa are eligible for protection.

To date, ornamental species account for the largest number of applications (+/-51%), ahead of agricultural species (+/-28%) and fruit and vegetable species (+/-21%). Between 2,500 and 3,000 applications are examined every year. Applications are primarily received from countries belonging to the European Union. Nearly 20% of the applications come from countries outside the European Union.

Technical examinations to confirm the criteria of distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS) are carried out by competent examination offices in EU Members states such as the Bundessortenamt in Germany (Hannover) and the Netherlands Inspection Service for Horticulture (Naktuinbouw) in the Netherlands (Roelofarendsveen), the Group for the Study and Control of Varieties and Seeds (GEVES) in France (Angers) and the Research Centre for Cultivar Testing (COBORU) in Poland (Słupia Wielka), co-exhibitors with the CPVO at IPM 2024.

cpvo.europa.eu