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EU policy chief defends bloc's stance in IP waiver debate over COVID-19 vaccines
As many countries in the world see a COVID-19 "resurgence" and many developing countries continue to struggle in the early stages of their vaccination drives, the EU foreign policy chief said that the hotly debated vaccine patent waiver wasn't necessarily the solution while offering little in the way of an alternative.
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The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell (left), speaks during a joint press conference with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, on June 2, 2021 at the Pancasila Building in Central Jakarta. (Courtesy of the Foreign Ministry/-)
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he European Union has defended its hesitation on the proposal to waive intellectual property (IP) rights for COVID-19 vaccines, with its foreign policy chief arguing that countries could still boost production through bilateral agreements.
The proposal to temporarily remove IP protections for coronavirus vaccines received a major boost last month, when the United States expressed support for its negotiation at the World Trade Organization (WTO) following calls from developing countries to share the technology behind the life-saving jabs.
But the European bloc remains among the ranks of developed economies still hesitant to democratize proprietary vaccine technology, a stance that has called into question its commitment to provide equitable vaccine access.
The EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Josep Borrell, who is also Vice President of the European Commission, defended the bloc’s position during his Indonesia visit this week, saying that the bloc was ready to discuss any solution while expressing doubt that the existing proposal would boost worldwide vaccine production.
“The waivers for intellectual property rights can be a solution, but having the property right does not mean you are going to produce tomorrow. You need to have the industrial capacity, a lot of skills and know-how,” Borrell told reporters in a limited interview in Jakarta as he wrapped up his visit on Thursday evening.
“And to produce a vaccine is not like producing a soap,” he continued, stressing that building nonexistent scale and production capacity would “take time”.
Read also: 'Vaccine nationalism': Is it every country for itself?
