login
login

Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13035

5 October 2022
Contents Publication in full By article 28 / 36
EU RESPONSE TO COVID-19 / Wto
Talks stall in Geneva on whether to extend flexibilities on Covid-19 vaccine patents
Brussels, 04/10/2022 (Agence Europe)

After Covid-19 vaccines, it is now the intellectual property rights of Covid-19 diagnostic tools and treatments that are the subject of disagreements at the World Trade Organization (WTO). When WTO members agreed to relax patent rules for vaccines in June 2022, they gave themselves six months to decide whether to extend these flexibilities to treatments and diagnostic tools (see EUROPE B12974A2). 

More than three months later, discussions have stalled and are following the same course as...

Contents

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PLENARY
BUDGET/RULE OF LAW: a majority of MEPs call for completion of procedure suspending EU funds to Hungary
ENERGY: EPP, S&D, Renew Europe and ECR groups agree on draft resolution on energy crisis
INTERNAL MARKET: European Parliament greenlights interinstitutional agreement on common-charger directive
IRAN: death of Mahsa Amini and repression of protests, representatives of European Parliament’s main political groups call for sanctions
COHESION: European Parliament gives unambiguous green light to FAST-CARE
HEALTH: MEPs adopt two texts of first European Health Union founding package
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS: European Parliament calls for AccessibleEU centre with clear mandate and sufficient resources
RELIGION: MEPs from EPP, ECR and ID groups call for a Special Envoy to protect and promote religious freedom
TAXATION: European Parliament wants to tax crypto-assets
FISHERIES: growth potential of EU aquaculture sector must be developed in a sustainable way, say MEPs
FISHERIES: European Parliament approves text transposing Indian Ocean Tuna Commission measures
AGRICULTURE: European Parliament approves compromise text on input statistics
ENVIRONMENT: less persistent organic pollutants in waste—European Parliament approves agreement negotiated with EU Council
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
ECONOMY: political agreement in EU Council on ‘REPowerEU’ chapters of national recovery plans
CUSTOMS: EU ministers discuss centralisation of customs services
STATE AID: €1 billion German support to help Salzgitter decarbonise its steel production approved
INSTITUTIONAL
BUDGET/RULE OF LAW: European Commission has a key assessment role in future decision on sanctions against Hungary, say MEPs
SECURITY - DEFENCE
SOMALIA: EEAS recommends extending CSDP missions in country for two years
EXTERNAL ACTION
FOREIGN AFFAIRS: EU adopts action plan for young people in third countries
TRADE/CLIMATE: carbon border adjustment mechanism, interinstitutional negotiations progress slowly
SECTORAL POLICIES
ENVIRONMENT: sustainable batteries regulation, Czech Presidency of EU Council suggests compromises to promote agreement with European Parliament
CLIMATE: EU Member States reaffirm commitment to climate finance ahead of COP27
CLIMATE/ENERGY: MEPs approve Peter Liese’s draft opinion on financing ‘REPowerEU’ from ETS revenues
TRANSPORT: Ismail Ertug’s report on alternative fuels infrastructure approved in European Parliament committee
TRANSPORT: ‘FuelEU Maritime’, Jörgen Warborn’s report confirmed by European Parliament Transport Committee
SPACE: Thierry Breton intends to support space sector with future European Sovereignty Fund
SOCIAL AFFAIRS
SOCIAL: EU Council gives final green light to adequate minimum wages
EU RESPONSE TO COVID-19
WTO: talks stall in Geneva on whether to extend flexibilities on Covid-19 vaccine patents
HEALTH: review of suitable vaccine for children and standardisation of authorisation of two Covid-19 mRNA vaccines
ECONOMY: EU Council gives green light to Dutch recovery plan
NEWS BRIEFS
ECONOMY: France supports idea of tackling energy crisis with a new European loan
TAXATION: three non-EU countries added to EU’s blacklist of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes
LIBYA: EU takes note of agreement between Government of National Unity and Turkey on hydrocarbons
RUSSIA: Moscow will see establishment of military assistance mission as direct EU involvement in conflict, Logvinov warns
SOCIAL: telework and right to disconnect, European social partners start their negotiations
ECONOMY: disbursement in mid-October of a €2 billion tranche of macrofinancial assistance to Ukraine