Brussels, 28/03/2003 (Agence Europe) - By adopting the report of Gérard Caudron (GUE, France), the European Parliament approved in first reading (codecision) the draft decision on the clinical trials programme in developing countries in the context of fighting against AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. This approval was reached after a series of amendments that did not challenge the essential elements of the proposal, which had been the subject of an agreement with the Council. This EDCTP programme, which should enjoy a budget of EUR 600 million over five years, is therefore expected to provide a kick-start, as hoped by the rapporteur during the debate when he pointed out that these three diseases alone killed more than 5 million people a year. (On this programme see EUROPE 29 January p 15).