Following the accession of the European Community to the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs adopted on 2 July 1999 (hereinafter ‘the Geneva Act’) approved by Council Decision 2006/954/EC2 and the amendments of Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 linked thereto, it is necessary to adopt certain implementing measures concerning fees to be paid to the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

Article 106c of Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 provides that the prescribed designation fees referred to in Article 7(1) of the Geneva Act are replaced by an individual designation fee.

The amount of that fee is laid down in the Declaration on the individual fee system attached to Decision 2006/954/EC, made in accordance with Article 7(2) of the Geneva Act.

In order to ensure the necessary flexibility and to facilitate the payment of fees, it is appropriate to align the rules applicable to the fees for designs with the rules applicable to the fees for trademarks laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 2869/95 of 13 December 1995 on the fees payable to the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)3 by suppressing the cash and cheques as means of payment.

Commission Regulation (EC) No 2246/2002 of 16 December 2002 on the fees payable to the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) in respect of the registration of Community designs4 should therefore be amended accordingly.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee on Fees, Implementing Rules and the procedure of the Boards of Appeal of the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (trade marks and designs),