After months of right-wing stalling and delaying tactics, the European Parliament (EP) approved a resolution to tackle the AIDS epidemic which includes a demand formulated by The Left in the EP for waiving intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines.
The proposal championed by Left MEPs also demands
"to support the Indian and South African World Trade Organization initiative for a temporary waiver on intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, equipment and treatments, and urges pharmaceutical companies to share their knowledge and data through the World Health Organization COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP)";
Last month, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), the centre-left (S&D) and the liberals (Renew Europe) voted to reject the TRIPS agreement (Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver which includes copyright and related rights, industrial designs, patents and the protection of undisclosed information. Days later, US President Biden announced his support for patents’ suspension, making the EU the main blocker of this vital measure to beat the pandemic.
Originally published on the website of The Left in the European Parliament (full version; modified)