[23][25] The Administrative Council is composed of Representatives of the Contracting States[27] and is responsible for overseeing the work of the European Patent Office,[23] ratifying the budget and approving the actions of the President of the Office.
[24] Each Contracting State on the Administrative Council has one vote,[28] except under certain circumstances provided for by Article 36 EPC.
[36] Reaching a decision on the appointment of a President was difficult in 2003,[37] leading to a split tenure (as a result of a compromise, Alain Pompidou (France) was elected for three years and Alison Brimelow (United Kingdom) succeeded him for an equal term),[38][39][40][41] and was difficult again in 2009, requiring twenty votes and four meetings.
"[46] The Staff Union of the European Patent Office (SUEPO) has criticized the Administrative Council as being in a conflict of interest situation: The heads of the national delegations in the Administrative Council are almost without exception heads of their respective national patent offices.
For many of the national offices their 50% share of the renewal fees constitutes a very substantial proportion of their annual budget (in several cases well over 50%).