Following a decision of the President of the EPO amending the Arrangements for deposit accounts (ADA)^[ 1 ] and under the terms of the Administrative Agreement between the EPO and the epi,^[ 2 ] annual subscriptions payable by professional representatives to the epi may be debited direct.

Professional representatives wishing to use this simple payment method can issue a direct debiting mandate^[ 3 ] to the epi (not the EPO) by 15 February of each year. This must be signed by the holder of the deposit account to be debited.

The epi combines several subscriptions to be debited from the same account into one overall sum, for which it then issues the EPO with a debit order. The EPO debits the account with effect from 25 February of each year (date of debit).

If, after priority payment of fees or costs in respect of EPO publications or services, the credit balance of a deposit account is not sufficient to cover the epi debit order, the latter is not carried out and is returned to the epi. The epi member is informed. Then, if the annual subscription is not credited to the epi account through the standard banking procedure and at no expense to the epi by 30 April, an attempt is made to debit the higher annual subscription on 25 June. Should this attempt also prove unsuccessful, the higher annual subscription must be paid to the epi through the standard banking procedure.

Subscriptions of epi members who did not issue a direct debiting mandate by the previous debiting date may also be debited with effect from 25 June. The deadline for receipt of the direct debiting mandate by the epi is then 15 June.

Information on the procedure is available only from the epi.^[ 4 ]