WRITTEN QUESTION E-3193/02 by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Cooperation between the European Union and the PAHO.
Date: 2002-11-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: ECHO, Latin America, aid policy, coordination of aid, health aid, humanitarian aid, non-governmental organisation

C 11 E/36

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

15.1.2004

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(6 December 2002)

In accordance with the mandate given by the Council of Ministers to the Commission on 16 September
2002 to negotiate an Authorised Destination Status Agreement (ADS) with China, the Commission has
formally requested the Chinese Government to initiate negotiations. In order for the Chinese Government
to start
the State Council has to grant Authorised Destination Status to the
Community. The Commission hopes that the ADS Status will be granted very soon in order to start formal
negotiations with China on this subject.

formal negotiations,

In the meantime a first round of informal discussions between the Commission and the Chinese National
Tourism Authority (CNTA) on a future Community ADS Agreement has taken place on 29 October 2002
in Beijing. On the basis of these discussions the Commission is preparing a draft text of the Agreement
which will be discussed with Member States in the near future.

In order to address the immigration issue in the context of the Chinese group tourism in the territory of
the Community,
the Commission is mandated to negotiate a readmission clause within the future
Community ADS Agreement with China.

It is a shared interest of both the Chinese Government, the Community and the Member States to conclude
a Community ADS Agreement as soon as possible. Awaiting the Community Agreement, bilateral
initiatives of Member States are currently not pursued any further.

(2004/C 11 E/036)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3193/02

by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Cooperation between the European Union and the PAHO

(8 November 2002)

The recent election of Mirta Rodriguez Periago as Director of the Pan American Health Organisation
(PAHO), the oldest public health body in the world, has highlighted the invaluable work it carries out in
the context of scientific programmes and emergency programmes to tackle natural disasters.

The fact that the organisation’s main purpose is to promote solidarity in the Americas and worldwide and
enhance the well-being of the most disadvantaged sections of the population means that the European
Union’s aim must be to collaborate in providing assistance.

Can the Commission say what the European Union’s attitude has been as regards providing humanitarian
assistance to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), and to what extent it might devise a special
cooperation programme to coordinate European Union aid in the context of this organisation?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(18 December 2002)

The Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) and its task force Dipecho (disaster preparedness) collaborates with
the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO)
in the field of disaster preparedness capacities and
programmes. ECHO and PAHO recently held a joint seminar on this topic in Brussels.

From the development perspective in the Latin American Region, the Commission is shifting from project
to programme and sector support approach. This approach is also pertinent in the situation where many
Latin American countries are engaged in health sector reforms. This sector dialogue in the context of the
health sector reform is already taking place, to different degrees, in Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala and
Barbados. The Commission holds discussions at country level with the PAHO, as a key player in the region
supporting health sector reform.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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The Commission is also involved in increasing the level of coordination of policies and programmes
amongst the Commission and Member States at the partner country level. This will probably lead to a
stronger common Union position in sector dialogue and support.

The Pan American Health Organisation has visited the Commission and expressed its interest in enhancing
collaboration with the Union. The Commission acknowledges the PAHO’s role in supporting health plans
and reforms in the region and welcome this interest. It, therefore, looks forward to find closer and more
concrete ways of collaboration.

(2004/C 11 E/037)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3196/02

by Ria Oomen-Ruijten (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 November 2002)

Subject: Illegal parallel imports of cheaper pharmaceuticals from developing countries

As developing countries do not have sufficient financial resources and facilities for the safe and effective
use of pharmaceuticals, they receive cheaper pharmaceuticals. At present, these cheaper pharmaceuticals
are being sold at a higher price in the European Union by means of illegal parallel imports. This product
differentiation reduces the scope for supplying cheaper medicines to developing countries. The health of
the inhabitants of those countries suffers as a result.

1. What measures will the Commission take to prevent cheaper pharmaceuticals from being diverted
from developing countries to countries where pharmaceuticals are more expensive?

2.
At present EU patent law provides for the system of exhaustion of Community rights. For how long
does the Commission expect that it will be possible to retain this system? Could this system be replaced so
imports of cheaper pharmaceuticals from
that EU countries can protect their markets against parallel
developing countries?

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(23 December 2002)

In accordance with the Commission Communication to the Council and the Parliament on accelerated
action targeted at major communicable diseases within the context of poverty reduction (1), measures to
prevent trade diversion of tiered priced products should be reinforced. To this end, the Commission
therefore, on 30 October 2002, adopted a proposal for a Council Regulation to avoid trade diversion into
the Union of certain key medicines (2).

This initiative, once adopted by the Council, will enable the customs authorities to suspend the release of
or detain tiered priced products at Union borders until the national competent authority has decided
whether the products are tiered priced products or not.
It is important that segmentation between
developed country markets and developing country markets can be upheld in order to secure sustainable
offers of low priced medicines to developing countries.

The proposed Regulation does not interfere with intellectual property rights. Both protected and non-
protected products may be listed as tiered priced products provided the conditions set out in the draft
Regulation are fulfilled. A right holder might indeed choose to exercise his intellectual property rights in
the event protected tiered priced products have entered the Community market despite efforts to intercept
them at the border.