Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-10-22-Speech-3-404"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20081022.23.3-404"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"− I fully agree with your concern – in my view, counterfeiting is much more than a financial problem.
First of all, it is a legal issue: the violation of intellectual property right.
Second, it is a financial or economic problem as it undermines the revenue of the Member States and it also undermines the profit of the manufacturing company of the original products and it can even result in the loss of jobs in our Member States.
But third – and this is my real concern – it is a new threat to the safety and to the health – and even to the life – of our citizens, so, as you very clearly emphasised, it is an issue of consumer protection. When I first got the information that EU customs seized some consignments of medicines, pharmaceuticals, against cardiovascular diseases, and the capsules contained brick powder and yellow paint, I was really shocked.
So it is much more than a financial or legal issue. It is a problem of the safety of our citizens and we have got to do our best.
May I say that I am now more optimistic: in April, I met my new counterpart, the new minister responsible for customs in China. Even with my former counterpart, I felt some positive changes in the Chinese style, the way they negotiated. Since 2005, it has become more and more concrete, more and more to the point and China has made some steps. For instance, they even changed the legislation concerning combating counterfeiting.
But, you are right that it is still not working in an optimum manner. That was the reason why we initiated an action programme and I made it very clear to my new partner that what we expect from China is concrete measures and concrete results in the market and I think that he understood the message.
One or two more reasons about why I am optimistic: first, China, which is an emerging power, which is playing a more and more important role in the world economy and world politics, I think simply cannot afford to be related, to be judged as the number one source of fake products. Second, China is more and more a target country. Quite recently we heard about Chinese fake milk powder which resulted in the death of some Chinese children. So they are not only a country of origin, but they are also a target country, a target of counterfeiters."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples