Debate: Meeting the Global COVID- challenge: effects of waiver of the WTO TRIPS agreement on COVID- vaccines, treatment, equipment and increasing production and manufacturing capacity in developing countries
Date: WEDNESDAY, 19 MAY 2021
Speaker: Augusto Santos Silva
Language: EN

We all share the same objectives. These are to rapidly develop and manufacture safe and effective therapeutics and vaccines and to distribute them equitably across the world. On 25 March, the members of the European Council highlighted that to overcome the current crisis, it was essential to accelerate the production, delivery and deployment of vaccines. Work on a vaccine-sharing mechanism must complement and support COVAX. It is worth noting here that the European Union is a major exporter of vaccines to the rest of the world and a significant contributor to the COVAX Facility. On the issue of a waiver of the TRIPS Agreement, as recently mentioned by Presidents Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Union is willing to discuss any concrete proposals on intellectual property rights for vaccines. Regarding the announcement by the United States, we need to have more information to understand what the United States is planning to propose. It seems that the US proposal is different from the proposal made by India and South Africa. However, I wish to reiterate that in the current situation, speed and manufacturing capacity are the top issues. This is why, in the short term, the European Union’s priority is to increase the production of COVID-19 vaccines to achieve global vaccination. The EU considers that the TRIPS Agreement and the intellectual property system are part of the solution. They reflect a careful balance between protecting intellectual property on the one hand and promoting widespread access to medicines and healthcare on the other hand. That is why we should concentrate on harnessing the flexibility that already exists in the TRIPS Agreement. In particular, the European Union is ready to support a statement that reaffirms the Agreement’s flexibility. Such a statement might confirm that, during a pandemic, the obligation to negotiate with the rights-holder can be put aside and the compulsory licence can cover exports to all countries that lack manufacturing capacity. Moreover, the European Union considers that the WTO and TRIPS framework offer many other possibilities that will help to attain our objectives. Increasing transparency of supply chains to tackle bottlenecks, streamlining customs procedures and eliminating export restrictions are some examples of these possibilities. These elements are also included in the initiative by the European Union and its co-sponsors on trade and health. The initiative aims to establish a global cooperation scheme to remove unnecessary barriers to trade in times of health crises. Other effective and pragmatic approaches to support affordable and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccines and treatments include patent-pooling, licensing initiatives and knowledge/vaccine-sharing platforms. Collaboration on therapeutics at global level is also crucial. The EU will intensify its cooperation with lower and middle-income countries to strengthen their health systems and healthcare workforce.  Finally, I would like to stress that we remain committed to opening a comprehensive dialogue in the WTO and other international fora.