Brussels, 25/11/2003 (Agence Europe) - Dutch Socialist Dorette Corbey, visibly in favour of the generic manufacturers' cause, underlined on Monday to the press, the importance of the amendment providing generic producers the possibility of manufacturing copies of medicines before the expiration of the protection granted to a copied product when exporting to developing countries. Before the vote on Thursday's parliamentary committee, she also appealed for granting future Member States a derogation (6 years instead of 10) on the new provisions on clinical data protection. European Generic Medicines Association (EGA) Director General, Greg Perry, then spoke, illustrating that the balance in the health systems in future Member States would become problematic if the ten year period were retained by the EP and the Council during their respective readings.