Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-09-08-Speech-4-113"
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"en.20050908.16.4-113"2
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".
Mr President, Mr Bowis has indeed written an excellent report that deserves our all-out support. I think that he is right to call for the extension of the Commission’s campaigns against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to include other neglected diseases. People seem insufficiently aware that diseases like African sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis and dengue form a major threat to the health of very many people in the poorest countries.
If medicines are available at all, they are either of very dubious quality or completely obsolete. Virtually no research and development is being done into these neglected diseases. The pharmaceutical industry is mainly interested if the sales are profitable and only invests if there are sufficient incentives. Possible policy measures that could boost investments include tax credits, innovation rewards, pre-qualification assistance and commitments to the purchase of patent rights.
As rapporteur for the regulation that is intended to ensure the implementation of the WHO decision on intellectual property rights (TRIPs) and access to medicines, I hope that the Council and Parliament will reach agreement very quickly on a text that will make it possible for this important decision to be applied immediately in the 25 Member States.
Moreover, while the Commission and Member States must actively support the implementation of the Doha Declaration and oppose any measure taken by the WHO member states that could undermine these commitments, African leaders should also accept their responsibility in the fight against the major and neglected diseases. It is important that they too should make health care a priority. In this connection, it is irresponsible for certain African governments to levy a tax on the sale or import of medicines, putting these out of the reach of the poor.
The international community will, however, need to supplement the public and private investments at national level with long-term financial support. We in the European Parliament must continue to press consistently for 35% of development aid to be spent on health and education. Only in that way can we give renewed hope to tens of thousands of people who are still dying of diseases that could, and should, have been wiped out a long time ago."@en1
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