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 EU lawmakers backed by 355 votes to 263 a resolution on accelerating
the global roll-out of vaccines, the parliament announced on
Thursday.
The resolution says only a fraction of the 11 billion shots needed
to vaccinate 70% of the world's population has been produced and
that relying on pledges of excess doses from richer nations is not
enough.
The text says that international trade policy needs to play a role
in facilitating trade and revisiting global IP rules.
South Africa and India have been pushing for eight months at the
World Trade Organization for a temporary waiver of IP rights that
could allow local manufacturers to produce shots.
Developed nations home to large pharmaceutical companies, including
the European Union, have resisted, arguing that a waiver would not
boost production and could undermine future research and development
on vaccines and therapeutics.
The non-binding resolution increases pressure on the European
Commission to be constructive in WTO negotiations, but is unlikely
to change its position that there is a better way to increase
production without a waiver.
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 The resolution also puts
lawmakers at odds with European Council
president Charles Michel, who said a patent
waiver was "not a silver bullet".
The European Parliament resolution calls for support of "proactive,
constructive and text-based negotiations" for a temporary IP waiver.
The text will be sent to the Commission, which oversees EU trade
policy, the Council, to all EU governments and parliaments, to the
head of the World Trade Organization, G20 governments and other
international institutions.
The resolution also says it regrets moves by Britain and the United
States to create a re-sale market to sell surplus vaccines to other
industrialised countries and urges both to abolish export
restrictions on vaccines and their required raw materials.
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Giles Elgood)
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