  1. The European Patent Office has signed new bilateral PPH agreements with:     2. Under these programs, examination may be accelerated before the EPO on the basis of:   The programs also allow acceleration of patent applications pending before one of the two Partner Offices on the basis of a PCT application for which a favorable written opinion or IPRP was issued by the EPO or on the basis of a national work product issued for an EP application or a PCT application having entered regional phase before the EPO.   3. To be eligible to participate in the PPH at the EPO, the following requirements have to be met:     Formal requirements at the EPO may include the provision of the relevant documents of the examination proceedings regarding the corresponding application, eventually along with a translation into one of the EPO official languages French, German or English.   If you have any questions concerning this newsletter, please contact Anne Francastel.   This IP Alert is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.   