Brussels, 30/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - By adopting the report by Sweden's Anders Wijkman (EPP-ED), the European Parliament amended on first reading (co-decision) the draft regulation setting up a programme to combat disease due to poverty (HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis) in developing countries. Parliament adopted 40 amendments tabled by its Development Committee mainly aimed at clarifying some of the text's provisions, and two amendments jointly tabled by the EPP-ED, PES and Green/EFA Groups in view of setting a financial package of 351 million euro for the period 2003-2006.
During the debate, Commissioner Poul Nielson said that the Commission could agree to all the amendments of the parliamentary committee, but not the desired financial envelope, as it exceeded available appropriations. He recalled that, for 2003, the budgetary authority (Parliament and Council) had only earmarked some 80 million euro to combat these diseases, 42 million of which for the World Fund and the remainder for this programme.