Strasbourg, 21/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - On a visit to the WTO headquarters in Geneva on Wednesday 21 October the Indian minister for trade, Anand Sharma, confirmed that he had received assurances from his European counterpart, Karel De Gucht, that the EU would amend its regulation in order to avoid any seizure of generic medicines transiting its territory. Sharma informed the press that “there has been a very clear reassurance, a categorical assurance given by the EU trade commissioner that the notification under which actions were taken ... were misinterpreted (and) will be amended to plug all loopholes. I have every reason to believe that the assurances given at the highest level will be implemented, and once that happens, that should be in the interest of everyone”.
Last year, India and Brazil had threatened to initiate proceedings against the EU at the WTO on the question of access to generic medicines, following seizures of generic medicine deliveries manufactured in India and transited through Europe to Brazil. These seizures were carried out in 2008 and 2009 by the customs authorities in several member states (Germany, France and the Netherlands) as part of their fight against counterfeiting. In response to the threat of an appeal at the WTO, the EU agreed at the end of 2009, to resolve its dispute amicably with India. (E.H./transl.fl)