Fórsa supports global vaccine initiative
by Mehak Dugal and Bernard Harbor
 
The NoProfitOnPandemic petition campaign is a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), which means the Commission is obliged to respond if enough signatures are collected.
The NoProfitOnPandemic petition campaign is a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), which means the Commission is obliged to respond if enough signatures are collected.

Fórsa is urging its members to sign an international petition calling on the European Commission to allow the production of approved Covid-19 vaccines to competent and safe pharmaceutical facilities around the world.

 

The NoProfitOnPandemic petition campaign is a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), which means the Commission is obliged to respond if enough signatures are collected. Its organisers say allowing developing countries to produced approved vaccines locally would make them freely available and accessible to all.

 

It wants action to ensure that intellectual property rights, including patents, do not hamper the accessibility or availability of any future Covid-19 vaccine or treatment. And it highlights the EU’s role in this, saying European legislation on data and market exclusivity should not be deployed to limit the rollout of licenses to produce vaccines across the globe.

 

It says EU action would significantly increase worldwide production, distribution and – most importantly of all – access to vaccines for all humankind.

 

NoProfitOnPandemic is also demanding the introduction of legal obligations for beneficiaries from EU funds to share related Covid-19 knowledge and intellectual property, as well as greater transparency around public contributions and production costs of the life-saving treatment.

 

Its appeal says: “We cannot allow big pharmaceutical companies to privatize crucial health technologies that have been developed with public resources.”

 

The petition has already attracted almost 300,000 signatures from EU citizens. But it remains short of the million signatures needed to compel the European Commission to consider the adoption of this position.

 

While Ireland has performed better than many other EU member states in supporting the initiative, it still has not reached its interim target of 10,000 signatures.

 

You can sign the petition HERE. 

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

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