Clare Daly (The Left). – Mr President, I voted for this report on serious cross-border threats to health because of the practical implications of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol in terms of the impact on the pharmaceutical industry and the serious potential impact on patient access to generic medicines in Northern Ireland and related issues in the rest of Ireland.
There really remains a high degree of uncertainty around the commissioner’s recent proposals to help stable medicines supply into Northern Ireland when the current post-Brexit derogations end on 31 December, and really time is running out. At the same time, there’s uncertainty regarding the UK’s plans.
So patients deserve clarity now to stop them worrying and to stop the stockpiling or shortages. And I really think that the Commission needs to urgently confirm its commitment to continue the current temporary derogations on medicines rules to ensure a stable supply in Northern Ireland to ease patient concerns and help the medicine makers plan correctly.
The Commission has to give a deadline in which it will publish its legislative proposal to give effect to the solutions proposed in its non-paper of July 2016 entitled ‘Medicines and the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland’.
Ангел Джамбазки (ECR). – Г-н Председател, колеги, пандемията от Ковид-19 откри отново уязвимостта на Европейския съюз по отношение на общественото здраве, показа липса на готовност и липса на опит на Европейския съюз да се справи с кризи, да защити гражданите на държавите членки и се наложи държавите членки да се справят всяка според възможностите си, което ни струва хиляди животи. Днес тази заплаха не е отминала, но наред с нея Европейският съюз е изправен пред икономическа и съчетана с нея мигрантска криза.
Подкрепих доклада, защото смятам, че за противодействие на кризи в такъв мащаб е необходимо да се впрегнат инструменти на европейското ниво. Необходимо е да укрепим координацията, така че да съумеем да помогнем на най-уязвимите държави членки, които дълго време стояха и все още остават в периферията на Европейския съюз. Важно е Европа да покаже, че слага здравето на своите граждани пред политическите и икономически интереси на определени държави. Така ще съумеем да върнем загубеното доверие на гражданите.
Mick Wallace (The Left). – Mr President, early in the pandemic there was a serious lack of solidarity shown by the EU with certain Member States, particularly Italy, who were hammered by COVID and abandoned by the EU.
The vote today concerns the addition by Parliament of certain elements in relation to the European Health Emergency and Response Authority into the Serious Cross—border Threats Regulation. The amendment to ensure transparency in relation to the giant procurement of vaccines and therapeutics is certainly positive. Yet there is no reference to civil society oversight in relation to advance purchase agreements. Therefore, negotiations will continue to be carried on behind closed doors.
There is nothing in relation to future advance purchase agreements that would guarantee global access and affordability, as well as the transfer of manufacturing know—how. Vaccines should be a public good for everyone that wants it, including the global south. Doing secret deals with Big Pharma behind closed doors is really soul—destroying for the people of Europe.