Nine out of 10 people in low and middle income countries won’t have access to a COVID-19 vaccine in 2021.
Today, World Health Day 2021, be one in a million and call for the European Commission (EC) to ensure there is no profit from the pandemic, and ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and technologies globally.
The European Citizen’s Initiative (ECI) is calling on European citizens to add their name to a petition, demonstrating widespread support for equitable access globally
The ECI is calling on the European Commission (EC) to propose all legislation to:
- Ensure that intellectual property rights, including patents, do not hamper the accessibility or availability of any future COVID-19 vaccine or treatment.
- Ensure that EU-legislation on data and market exclusivity does not limit the immediate effectiveness of compulsory licenses issued by Member States.
- Introduce legal obligations for beneficiaries from EU-funds to share COVID-19 health technology related knowledge.
- Introduce legal obligations for beneficiaries from EU-funds regarding transparency on public contributions, production costs, as well as accessibility and affordability clauses combined with non-exclusive licenses.
We support the demands clearly laid out on the ECI website:
1 — Health for all
We all have a right to health. In a pandemic, research and technologies should be shared broadly, fast, across the globe. A private company shouldn’t have the power to decide who has access to treatments or vaccines and at what price. Patents provide one single company with the monopoly control over essential pharmaceutical products. This limits their availability and increases their cost to those who need them.
2 — Transparency now!
Data on production costs, public contributions and the effectiveness and safety of vaccines and medicines should be public. Contracts between public authorities and pharmaceutical companies must be made public.
3 — Public money, public control
Taxpayers paid for the research and development of vaccines and treatments. What has been paid for by the people should remain in people’s hands. We cannot allow big pharmaceutical companies to privatize crucial health technologies that have been developed with public resources.
4 — No profit on pandemic
Big pharmaceutical companies should not profit from this pandemic at the expense of people’s health. A collective threat requires solidarity, not private profiteering. Public funds should always come with guarantees on availability and affordability. Big Pharma shouldn’t be allowed to plunder social security systems.
European citizens, please be one in a million, and sign here.
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