In order to better prepare for future crises and improve the collective response to the global economic and health crisis, the European Union is pursuing its project to propose to its partners at the World Trade Organization (WTO) that duties on essential medicines and equipment be abolished. Ultimately, a plurilateral and open-ended agreement could thus be concluded in this chamber.
Such an approach could help guard against disruptions in global supply chains, as experienced during the Covid-19 crisis.
Prompted by some Member States, such as the Netherlands and Sweden, the subject had been raised by Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan with the Trade Ministers of the EU-27 on 16 April and with members of the European Parliament’s Trade Committee (INTA) on 21 April (see EUROPE 12468/15, 12471/7). Following these discussions on 2 June, the European Commission shared with Member States a list of proposals that could be submitted to its international partners.
Among other things, the Commission suggests abolishing tariffs on pharmaceuticals and medical products, setting up a global cooperation programme in times of health crisis (covering issues such as import and export restrictions, customs and public procurement) and improving current WTO rules on trade in essential products, a Commission spokesman told EUROPE.
The subject will be on the agenda of the meeting of European Trade Ministers on Tuesday 9 June.
With a view to facilitating trade in response to the health challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic (see EUROPE 12473/5), the Commission on 5 June notified the organisation of its new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, adopted on 2 June. These enable the supervisory authorities to use electronic information for controls. (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)