10. Stresses that the military regime in Rangoon needs to understand that the EU does not regard
minimal concessionsas a sign ofreal change;
11. Urges the SPDC to take steps to improve the human rights situation and to put an end to the
widespread practice of torture, extra-judicial executions, the repression of ethnic minorities, as well as to
massive forced relocations and civilian abuse; strongly condemns the violation of the rights of the Shan,Karenni andKaren people;
12. Stresses the need to implement strictly the lawof October 2000 banning the use of forced labour
andtoensure the actual end ofthis widespread practice;
13. CallsontheCommissiontoinvestigatehowhumanitarianaidcanbedeliveredtotheareasmostin
need ofit with minimumpolitical interference by the military;
14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, ASEAN member
states,the NLD andAung SanSuu Kyi andthe SPDC.
22. Patenting of human genes
B5-0633, 0641, 0651 and 0663/2001
European Parliament resolution on the patenting of BRCA1 and BRCA2 (‘breast cancer’) genes
The European Parliament,
/dash recalling its resolution of 30March 2000 on the decision by the European Patent Office with regard
to patent No EP 695 351 granted on 8December 1999(1), calling on the EPO ‘to ensure that all …
patentapplicationsin Europe donotviolate theprinciple ofnon-patentabilityofhumans,their genesor cellsin their natural environment …’,
/dash havingregardtothe‘Adviceonthepatentabilityofthehumangenome’,adoptedbyconsensusbythe
InternationalBioethicsCommitteeofUnesco(IBC)attheconclusionofitsEighthSessionon14Sept-ember2001whichstates‘thattherearestrongethicalgroundsforexcludingthehumangenomefrompatentability’andfurtherrecommends‘thattheWorldTradeOrganisation(WTO),initsreviewoftheTRIPSAgreement, clarifythat,inaccordancewiththeprovisionofArticle27(2)1,thehumangenomeisnotpatentableonthebasisofthepublicinterestconsiderationssetouttherein,inparticular,publicorder, moralityandthe protection ofhuman life andhealth’,
A. whereas a US company,Myriad Genetics, hasbeen granted USpatentsonthe so-called‘breastcancer
genes’BRCA1andBRCA2andhasappliedtotheEuropeanPatentOfficeforpatentsonthesegenesas well,
B. whereas, in the US, genetic laboratories are licensed by Myriad Genetics to test for a very limited
number of mutations of BRC A1 and 2 only (with a fee payable) and are obliged to refer for anyfurther testing toMyriad Genetics, thusincurring further andconsiderable expense,
C. whereas cheaper andmore effective methodsof testing for breast cancer genes BRC A1 and BRC A2
exist in the European Unionandwhereas the existing US patentsare already impeding their use,
D. whereas the European Patent Convention, in particular its Article52.2(a), stipulates that no patents
shall be granted for discoveries, and Article53(a) excludes from patentability inventions, the pub-lication or exploitation ofwhich wouldbe contrary topublic order or morality,
(1) OJ C 378,29.12.2000,p. 95.11.4.2002 EN C87E/265 Official Journal ofthe European Communities
Thursday 4 October 2001
E. whereas the granting ofsimilar patentsbythe EPO couldcreate a monopolyforthe firm in question
within the European Union as well, which could seriously impede or even prevent the further use ofexisting cheaper and more effective tests for the breast cancer genes BRC A1 and BRC A2; whereasthis development could have an unacceptable detrimental effect on the women concerned and con-stitute a serious drain on the funds of public health services; whereas, moreover, it could seriouslyimpede the developmentofandresearch into newmethodsofdiagnosis,
F. whereastheEPOgrantedpatentsonBRCA1toMyriadGeneticsintheformofPatentNo699754of
10January2001andPatentNo705903of23May2001andisconsideringgrantingfurtherpatentsonthe breast cancer genes BRC A1 andBRC A2,
G. whereasthetimelimitforlodgingobjectionstoPatentNoEP699754of10January2001expireson
10October2001,andwhereastheInstitutCurieandtheFrenchMinistryofHealthintendtolodgeanobjectiontothis patent,
1. Expressesitsdismayatthepossibleconsequencesofthegranting bytheEuropean PatentOfficeofa
patent ona human gene;
2. Reiterates its call on the European Patent Office ‘to ensure that all … patent applications in Europe
do not violate the principle of non-patentability of humans, their genes or cells in their natural environ-ment…’;
3. Calls on the EPO to reconsider patenting these genes and associates itself with those tabling objec-
tionsto the granting ofthese patents, such as the InstitutCurie, andreiterates its demandfor a reviewoftheoperationsofthe EPOtoensure thatitbecomespubliclyaccountablein theexercise ofitsduties,andforamendmentoftheEuropeanPatentConventiontoensurethattheEPOmayrevokepatentsonitsown
initiative;
4. Reiterates its call on the Council, the Commission and the Member States to adopt the measures
required to ensure that the human genetic code is freely available for research throughout the world andthat medical applications of certain human genes are not impeded by means of monopolies based onpatents;
5. Asks its competent services to prepare without delay an objection to be filed to European patents
No699754andNo705903andcallsontheotherinstitutionsoftheEUandMemberStategovernmentstodolikewise;
6. InstructsitsPresidenttoforwardthisresolutiontotheCouncil,theCommission,theEuropeanPatent
Office andthe governments ofthe Member States.
23. Community guarantee for EIB loans to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia *
A5-0300/2001
Proposal for a Council decision amending Decision 2000/24/EC so as to extend the Community
guarantee granted to the European Investment Bank to cover loans for projects in the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia (COM(2001)356 *dash C5-0335/2001 *dash 2001/0143(CNS))
The proposalwas approved.C87E/266 EN11.4.2002 Official Journal ofthe European Communities
Thursday 4 October 2001