Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-02-10-Speech-1-083"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2003-02-10"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Authorisation of generic medicines at WTO level2
dcterms:Language	"en"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20030210.8.1-083"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2003-02-10-Speech-1-0842
lpv:speaker	lp:Gerard Collins2
lpv:spoken text	"Mr President, the crux of this issue is very simple. It is that there are 42 million people in the world today suffering from the AIDS virus, yet we have the technology and the treatments available to combat diseases such this. However, people in the developing countries cannot afford to pay the exorbitant prices for the medicines needed to treat sufferers of AIDS and other diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. If we are to provide these medicines to those who need them, we have to override the intellectual property rights of companies who have patented the technology to combat these diseases. We can achieve this by reaching an agreement between all contracting parties at the level of the World Trade Organisation. The crux of the discussions is the relationship between intellectual property rights and public health issues. If developing countries can be given the right to distribute these much-needed medicines to their own people on their own licensing terms, then the cost of these medicines will be substantially reduced. We all recall the much publicised court case brought by 40 pharmaceutical companies against the South African Government on this issue. We have a moral obligation to support the effort of finding the way to provide urgently needed medicines to people in developing countries. This is a matter for the World Trade Organisation, but progress, I regret, is far too slow. Last November, the European Union presented a compromise proposal to the WTO ministerial meeting in Australia to find a solution to this important matter. However, it now appears that the US Government is just not satisfied with the terms of this compromise. The US Government believes that too many diseases are included in the European Union's proposal. Too many diseases are included they say, when in the meantime people are dying from AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Over three million people will die from AIDS this year alone. The technology is there to provide suitable treatment to sufferers of this disease. Intellectual property rights will have to be put to one side so that we can alleviate the suffering of millions of people who will die needlessly, if we do not find an urgent solution to this issue. On a separate but related matter, I have called on the members of the international community many times to increase their budgets to combat the AIDS epidemic. In fact, debt relief programmes must be put in place for developing countries with high levels of AIDS sufferers."@en1
lpv:spokenAs	vice-chair; UEN (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 chair; Delegation for relations with South Africa (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3 member; Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 unknown; Fianna Fáil Party (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 member; Conference of Delegation Chairs (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"Collins (UEN )."1

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