Filenews 9 June 2021
On the lifting of the patent rights of vaccines against COVID-19, the plenary of the European Parliament votes on Wednesday on a proposal that has divided MEPs.
It is recalled that in a debate on 19 May, MEPs disagreed on the EU's position on the lifting of the patent rights of COVID-19 vaccines.
The plenary debate took place after the US government announced that it would support the temporary lifting of the patent rights of medical products and vaccines against COVID-19.
This measure, which is the subject of ongoing debate at the World Health Organisation, was proposed by South Africa and India in October 2020.
Some 60 countries have since supported them.
Global responsibility
Removing patent rights could improve global access to affordable vaccines and other medical products, supporters of the measure said. Many MEPs stressed the importance of the EU taking the lead.
"It is true that the current model has contributed to progress in health and the economy over the years. However, the pandemic has already caused over 3 million deaths and we need urgent solutions," said the head of the Socialist and Democrat group, Irathe Garcia Perez (Spain).
"The European Union must do its best to help poor countries that are unable to do it on their own. Our goal is not only humanitarian but also geostrategic."
"The lives of hundreds of millions of people who do not yet have access to vaccines because they were not born in the right place are at risk. [...] Europe must treat vaccines as a global common good whose price and quantity cannot be left in the hands of three or four pharmaceutical companies", stressed Philippe Lamberts (Greens, Belgium).
"How did we end up here? Today, once again, we are discussing the lifting of the covid-19 vaccine patent. This should have been clear from the beginning," stressed Manon Obri (The Left, France).
"Millions of lives are at stake and your inertia is killing people."
"Other measures could be more effective," say MEPs,
Other MEPs argued that the lifting of patent rights would not bring quick results globally and proposed alternative routes to help countries in difficulty.
Ester de Lanz (EPP, Netherlands) stressed that the EU has exported almost as many vaccines as it has kept for internal use.
'Barriers preventing the export of materials and vaccines, particularly from the United Kingdom and the US, must be lifted. The dose needs to be increased. Production must increase drastically, not only here but also in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In particular, the EU must assist Africa in the production of vaccines. The knowledge required for the production of vaccines must be transmitted and shared'.
Dasian Ciolos (Renew Europe, Romania) said that the US proposal to lift the vaccine patent does not address the real problems.
"[US President] Biden is not proposing appropriate solutions, removing patents is a time-consuming and complicated process. What we need to do is send immediate aid to the poor people."
He stressed the need for US support for the COVAX initiative, an initiative that facilitates low- and middle-income countries' access to tests, treatments and vaccines against corovirus.
Roman Haider (Identity and Democracy, Austria) expressed doubts as to whether developing countries would be able to produce vaccines at a faster rate than Western countries, China and Russia.
"The lifting of patent rights therefore does not allow us to buy time or secure more doses of vaccines," he said, describing the proposal as an "attack on property and, in this case, on intellectual property."
For his part, Heert Bourgeois (ESM, Belgium) said: "Removing patents seems like a good idea without actually being. [...] No one has been able to demonstrate that the lifting of patents will lead to an acceleration and increase in vaccine production. The production of vaccines is extremely complex. Controlling production and quality is such a time-consuming process that the lifting of patents will have no effect in 2021. The real solution lies in drastically increasing our production, which we are doing."
Speaking on behalf of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council, Augusto Santos Silva said that the EU is ready to discuss concrete proposals on vaccine patent rights.
He stressed, however, that the current international framework is already flexible and provides for mandatory licensing allowing exports to countries with insufficient or non-existent manufacturing capacity.
Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said: "Europe's responsibilities do not stop at our borders. We have always paid particular attention to the need for international solidarity which we have demonstrated in practice because no one is safe until we are all safe."
"At this critical time, boosting production and the wider and faster distribution of vaccines at an affordable cost is the only and most effective way to combat the pandemic around the world."
Parliament will vote on this issue at its June plenary session.
