Coronavirus: European Union says release of vaccine patents will not solve problems in the short to medium term

The President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, assured this Friday that the release of the patent for the vaccines against the coronaviruses will not make it possible to increase the production of doses “in the short and medium term”.

“We need vaccines now for everyone and, in the short to medium term, the lifting of patents will not solve the problems, it will not generate a single dose of vaccine in the short and medium term“, the policy said at a press conference following the high-level conference on the European Pillar of Social Rights in Porto.

Thus, even if we consider that the The European Union should be “open” to discuss the possibility of liberalizing patents, idea put forward by India and South Africa and now supported by the United States, he felt that when it comes to having the discussion, there should be a “360 degree” perspective.

Since the surprising announcement of the United States government’s support for a temporary patent suspension, a move that has received enthusiastic support from the World Health Organization, the EU reacted with obvious skepticism.

Alexandre de Croo, The Prime Minister of Belgium (hub of the pharmaceutical industry, which accounts for 70% of EU vaccine exports), said “Ready to chat with an open mind.”

For its part, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, declared the day he was “open” to the idea, but that it was necessary to consider the entire production chain of complex COVID-19 vaccines.

“Explain” the proposal

On Friday, European Commission specialists said the The main obstacle to global vaccine production was not the protection of intellectual property, but the hoarding of inputs by a small group of countries.

An EU official said on Friday that discussions are expected to continue but added that they have not been given “a single example” where capacity has been limited by patents or other intellectual property rights.

Another expert said that “the lifting of patents, by itself, will not solve things (…) It does not mean that you have access to technology or knowledge ”.

For him, “The United States should explain exactly what is in their proposal. We haven’t seen anything more than a very general statement, ”the official said.

For European leaders, the key to the solution to the problem of universalization of vaccines lies in avoid piling up supplies and removing blockages when exporting injectables

Macron said that the debate “should not focus first on intellectual property” but on “the transfer of technology and the mobilization of productive capacities”.

The French president did not spare half words and criticized the US and UK for blocking the export of vaccines produced in their territories.

The EU, on the other hand, reaffirms every day that It is the main exporter of vaccines, with more than 200 million doses produced in the block and shipped to other parts of the world.

A spokesperson for Angela Merkel, head of the German government, stressed that in the Berlin vision “the protection of intellectual property is a source of innovation and must continue to be so in the future”.

Obviously Member States’ positions are not uniform and, in fact, at a working dinner in Porto this Friday, the leaders of the Twenty-Seven will address the issue.

With information from AFP and EFE

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