Over 33 million people are living with AIDS world-wide and access to antiretroviral treatment remains poor. On Thursday the European Parliament approved a resolution calling on governments to pass new laws ensuring more affordable medication and to avoid free trade agreements that favour the commercial interests of the pharmaceutical sector over health needs.
Ahead of the next International AIDS conference in Vienna (18-23 July), MEPs sent a strong message to national governments. New laws are needed, they say, to provide "affordable HIV-effective medications, including antiretroviral and other safe and effective medicines".
They also criticise bilateral regional trade agreements where health is not given priority over commercial interests, in contravention of an agreement with the World Trade Organisation. The compulsory licensing of medicines and differential prices has not solved the problem so far, adds Parliament.
The level of antiretroviral-treatment coverage is only 23% in Europe and Central Asia, with the Baltic states, Russia and Ukraine being the countries that most need to implement anti-AIDS policies.
Among the many policy proposals outlined to fight AIDs in Europe, MEPs call for more funding for research into new vaccines and microbiocides, for specific programmes to target vulnerable groups, for the EU Agency for fundamental Rights to gather evidence on discrimination and for measures to ensure that AIDS-infected people still have the right to a full sex life and fertility choice.
Regarding the predominance of this illness in poor countries, Parliament urges Member States and the Commission "to allocate at least 20% of all development spending to basic health and education". They also note the "worrying decline" in funding for the promotion of sexual and reproductive health rights in developing countries.
Homosexuals and women, key vulnerable groups
The resolution stresses the existing higher levels of infection among key groups such as sex workers, homosexuals, transgender people, prisoners, injecting drug users, migrants, refugees and mobile workers, and calls for specific targeted actions to ensure their access to public health and fight their discrimination and stigmatisation by society.
Women and children are the most heavily affected, with more than 60% of AIDs victims in sub-Saharan Africa being female. Prevention methods such as condoms and abstinence "are not realistic options" for many of those women, said MEPs who called instead for a safe and effective vaccine or microbiocide which could empower women to protect themselves "without limiting their reproductive choice".
The resolution, adopted by 400 votes to 166, with 55 abstentions, was tabled by the following political groups: S&D, ALDE, Greens/EFA and EUL/NGL.
Press Release from the European Parliament – 08 July 2010
Zu dem Thema empfehle ich Euch auch den folgenden Artikel:
08. Juli 2010 – Die Wiener Erklärung
08. Juli 2010 – The Vienna Declaration
29. Juni 2010 – The Vienna Declaration: A Global Call to Action