Quick review of who stands where on COVID patent waivers and just how isolated certain people in the EU are...
The EU is split. Despite much top-down message enforcement, many leaders have openly supported COVID patent waivers:
Italy's foreign minister: facebook.com/52239102779744…
Dutch trade minister: irishtimes.com/business/healt…
Ireland foreign & health ministers: irishtimes.com/news/health/go…
Other key voices in the EU supporting COVID patent waivers:
Spain's government: reuters.com/world/europe/s…
Poland's government: tvp.info/53686577/premi…
In France, Macron has in the past few weeks expressed support for COVID patent waivers: france24.com/en/france/2021…
Then opposed them: theguardian.com/world/2021/may…
Then supported them again: amp.france24.com/en/france/2021…
Now he wants to wait till October to decide: mediapart.fr/journal/intern…
Last month, EU foreign policy chief Borrell tweeted support for waiving some intellectual property rules to scale up vaccine production globally...
Then he deleted his tweet...
The European Parliament has voted in favour of a temporary waiver on some intellectual property rules to deal with the pandemic, although a more decisive vote on a COVID-specific resolution will come on 8 June...
Hundreds of European lawmakers from around the bloc support the #TRIPSwaiver: hrw.org/news/2021/04/2…
See also, these 84 MEPs:
Also supporting the #TRIPSwaiver & #PeoplesVaccine:
Medical experts: thelancet.com/journals/lance…
Human rights experts: hrw.org/news/2021/03/0…
Global public health NGOs: msfaccess.org/compulsory-lic…
So many international NGOs: peoplesvaccine.org
Over 100 governments around the world back COVID patent waivers: reliefweb.int/report/world/o…
Including the US: reuters.com/business/healt…
The head of the World Health Organization is also in favour: theguardian.com/world/2021/mar…
Nobel laureates and former heads of state & government have also weighed in to support COVID patent waivers: project-syndicate.org/commentary/pre…
The medical journal, The Lancet, has, too: thelancet.com/journals/lance…
As has the science journal Nature: nature.com/articles/d4158…
And just hours ago, this official European Citizens' Initiative calling on the European Commission to treat anti-pandemic vaccines and treatments as a global public good, passed 200,000 signatures!
noprofitonpandemic.eu
So, Merkel & von der Leyen are actually even more isolated than this chart would suggest. Most governments & the vast majority of experts globally support COVID patent waivers, and so do many leaders even in EU member states.
Merkel and von der Leyen are apparently trying to keep everyone in the EU "on message" with a pitiful pile of talking points.
Their arguments are so easily debunked, I almost feel sorry for them.
Addressed point-by-point here: irishexaminer.com/opinion/commen…
And for those who want more technical details on issues like how the proposed #TRIPSwaiver would supplement compulsory licensing, this latest document from @MSF_access is for you:
msfaccess.org/compulsory-lic…
It seems that Mexico has shifted its position from undecided to pro, thus further isolating the EU, UK & a handful of others...
bit.ly/2SBbQWw
This from @benphillips76 to the European Parliament is another great rebuke to the stale arguments of the European Commission & its pharma friends.
Love that first point especially on how pharma arguments inherently contradict themselves... 🔥
The European Commission will hardly even listen to anyone with a different opinion...
They sadly seemed determined only to hear & obey the voices of pharma companies seeking to use the pandemic to maximise their profits...
corporateeurope.org/en/2021/05/com…
EU policy is to block wider vaccine production globally to help pharma maximise profits.
Great for pharma. Terrible for humanity, because it means a longer pandemic, so:
⬛️ more death;
⬛️ more economic disruption;
⬛️ more chances for vaccine-resistant variants to emerge.
Germany has received more doses than 92 developing countries combined...
#PeoplesVaccine
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