WRITTEN QUESTION E-0243/99

by Ulf Holm (V) to the Commission

(12 February 1999)

Subject: The fight against HIV/Aids

What is the EU doing to support action to stop the spread of HIV/Aids in EU Member States?

To whom is such support given?

Has an evaluation of such support been carried out? If so, what were the results?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(25 March 1999)

Community measures to combat AIDS are implemented in the context of the Community action programme on the prevention of AIDS and certain other communicable diseases (1996-2000) adopted by Decision 647/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on 29 March 1996(1).

This programme provides for a raft of actions under four main rubrics:

(a) surveillance and monitoring of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and other communicable diseases;

(b) combating transmission of the virus;

(c) information, education and training;

(d) support for persons affected and combating discrimination.

Community assistance under this programme is granted on the basis of calls for proposals published in the Official Journal and in accordance with the procedure and arrangements provided for in Article 5 of Decision 647/96/EC, open to Non-Governmental Organisations, university research centres and public institutions active in preventing AIDS. Each year the Commission transmits to the Parliament the list of subsidies granted in the context of the programme (amount, duration and beneficiary).

Article 7 of the Decision provides for an evaluation halfway through the programme and on completion of the programme. The interim report, which is currently being prepared, will be transmitted to the European Parliament and Council during the second quarter of 1999.

Ever since 1983, only two years after the first case of AIDS was diagnosed, research on AIDS has been a high priority within the medical research programmes of the Commission. Within the fourth framework programme (1994-1998) and more specifically the Biomed 2 programme, a total of 32 projects directly related to HIV/AIDS are presently supported (at a total budget of 16 millions euro) addressing a broad range of objectives, such as HIV vaccine development or new approaches in AIDS therapy, taking account of drug resistance issues. Key players in these projects are research institutions, hospitals and industry.

The policy to bring forward HIV vaccine research is further pursued by the launching of the fifth framework programme (1998-2002), in particular key action 2 "control of infectious diseases". A total amount of 300 million euro has been set aside for research on infectious diseases in humans and animals. In order to place the European research efforts at the service of the citizen, the fifth framework programme is designed to implement a new approach to research organised to respond to the major socio-economic challenges that the European society faces today. In the future, European research into infectious diseases will be even more targeted to vaccine development and to new strategies for the diagnosis, treatment and control of infectious diseases.

(1) OJ L 95, 16.4.1996.