The start of the Sunrise Period is postponed for two months. The initial roadmap foresaw 1 January 2023 as the beginning of the Sunrise Period with an entry into force of the UPCA on 1 April 2023. The additional time is intended to allow future users to prepare themselves for the strong authentication which will be required to access the Case Management System (CMS) and to sign documents. Users will need to equip themselves with both, a client authentication (hard device) and a qualified electronic signature. Further detailed information on the authentication is published on this website. Included is a list of providers who have informed the Court that they meet the required technical standards. This is an open ended list which will be amended as additional providers communicate their readiness to the UPC. As strong authentication is required already for the Sunrise Period the initial timeline seems insufficient in view of the legitimate interests of users who have to find a provider and acquire the required authentication tools. As a consequence, the Sunrise Period will start on 1 March 2023 followed by the entry into force of the UPCA on 1 June 2023.

As all other preparatory work is on track and in line with the published roadmap we expect no further delay of the start of the UPC beyond 1 June 2023. Secondary legislation, like e.g. the UPC Rules of Procedure, has been adopted. The Judges of the UPC have been appointed, the Presidium has been formed and the Presidents of both the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance have been elected and have assumed their offices. The Presidium of the UPC has concluded the interviews of candidates for the position of Registrar and Deputy Registrar completing the Court’s administration as of the beginning of next year, in time for the start of the Sunrise period on 1 March 2023. The functionalities of the CMS have been positively tested. The training of the UPC judges and the clerks is under way. No amendments to the roadmap are required in these areas.

Klaus Grabinski                                              Johannes Karcher

President of the UPC                                     Acting Chairman of the Administrative Committee
Court of Appeal                                              of the UPC