28/04/2006 (Agence Europe) - The Council of Europe adopted a regulation on 28 April allowing companies to produce copies of patented medicines under license for export to “countries in need” without sufficient capacity to produce them. The regulation implements within the EU the necessary conditions to meet a WTO Agreement of December 2005, under which national authorities can grant compulsory licences for such production under certain conditions. The compulsory licensing regulation is a crucial measure for some of the poorest countries in the world (whether WTO members or not). The regulation was adopted in first reading - Germany abstained from the vote. It will come into force on the twentieth day after its publication in the Official Journal.