[Ip-health] Mandelson's Speech on Access to medicines front of the European Parliament

[Alexandra HEUMBER]

This is a multipart message in MIME format.
--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
Here below the speech of Peter Mandelson, EU Commissioner of Trade, at the
European Parliament, on Tuesday 23 October 2007.

 Peter Mandelson, Member of the Commission. Mr President, I am very
pleased that we have been able to find a solution agreeable to all on the
important issue of access to medicines for poor, developing countries. Our
debate during the last months has been fruitful and I would like to thank
Parliament for the intensity and the quality of our exchanges. The
Commission has always been receptive to the concerns expressed by
Parliament and, indeed, shares most of them. That is why the Commission
was at the forefront of the debate on TRIPS and access to medicines in the
WTO.
I have seen in this debate an opportunity for the Commission to clarify
its position on a number of issues. We all agree that the amendment of the
TRIPS agreement is one part of the solution among many others to the
problem of access to medicines. Obviously, other measures are needed, in
particular to improve health care systems and the infrastructures, notably
in poor, developing countries.
Some Members fear that the mechanism will not work. This is certainly too
early to assert. In our regulation implementing the waiver, and together
with Parliament, we agreed to evaluate it three years after its entry into
force, and we will do it.
We also support the work of the intergovernmental working group with the
WHO to explore other measures to further improve access to medicines.
The Commission has been able to reaffirm its attachment to the Doha
declaration on the TRIPS agreement on public health and its support for
the flexibilities contained therein.
Similarly, this debate allows me to dispel any misunderstanding about what
the Commission is doing in the economic partnership agreements with ACP
countries. Let me confirm that, in those agreements and in other future
bilateral and regional agreements with poor developing countries, the
Commission is not asking and will not ask for provisions which could
affect access to medicines or undermine the TRIPS flexibilities contained
in the Doha declaration on the TRIPS agreement and public health.
Thanks to this frank and direct debate Parliament is now in a position to
give its assent to the Commission proposal. The European Community will
then join the other WTO members which have already accepted the TRIPS
agreement. This acceptance will enable the EC to continue to play a
leading role in the WTO on the issue of access to medicines.
To conclude, I would like to insist that access to medicines remains a
priority for the Commission and I am willing to continue to work in a
constructive spirit with Parliament on this matter in the future.

Alexandra Heumber
EU Advocacy Liaison Officer
M=E9decins Sans Fronti=E8res
Access to Essential Medicines Campaign
Rue Dupr=E9, 94. 1090 Brussels
++32 (0) 2 474 75 09 (Dir off)
++ 32 (0) 479 514 900 (Mob)
++ 32 (0) 2 474 75 75 (Fax)