The European Patent Office, faced with complaints of excessive costs and centralization, has extended the term of its current president, Paul Braedli, from May 1995 to December 1995, so that they have more time to find a successor who will have to deal with some serious problems. A committee with a representative from each of the 17 member states of the EPO is investigating operations, based on the unhappiness of users over issues such as the cost of patenting through the EPO, the lower than expected ratio of European to non-European patent applications (with the US and Japan dominating), and the desire to decentralize some activities from the EPO to the national patent offices. Other wishes are to reduce high translation costs that add 20% to the cost of every patent application, and doing something about the high, tax-free salaries of the 4000+ EPO staff (which locally authorities in Munich would like to see taxed). Given the desire of other European countries to join EPO (such as some of those in Eastern Europe), interesting times lay ahead.