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Stiglitz at the World Economic Forum in Davos 2017: Harsh criticism of the German government
Photo: Gian Ehrenzeller / AP
The former chief economist of the World Bank, Joseph Stiglitz, calls on the federal government to temporarily suspend the patents of the corona vaccines developed in Germany. In a guest article for Die Zeit, Stiglitz writes that "the deliberately impenetrable network of patents, copyrights, trade secrets" needs to be levered out. This is necessary in order to be able to ramp up vaccine production, "to be able to adequately protect the world population and to stop the spread of the virus", especially in poorer countries.
More than a hundred mostly poorer states, led by India and South Africa, are calling for patent protection for corona vaccines to be suspended. This would allow manufacturers around the world to produce the vaccines without license fees. The USA supports this initiative, while the federal government and other EU states are relying more on supplying poorer countries with finished vaccines. This dissent only became clear again a few days ago at the G7 summit.
Nobel laureate in economics, Stiglitz, argues in his »Zeit« guest contribution that most industrialized nations have long since agreed to an exemption. But it is "of all things the German government under the leadership of Angela Merkel" that opposes a solution. The "economic cost of this stubbornness" would be enormous, "not to mention the loss of human life," said the economist. "With its indomitable position, Germany is on the wrong side of history" and is "in fact taking the whole world hostage."
In particular, the producers of the particularly sought-after mRNA vaccines have come into focus in the debate about patent approval, including the German company Biontech. It is controversial whether a release would actually lead to more vaccine being available in good time. Opponents of the clearance argue that the production is very complex and also requires appropriate equipment in the plants as well as many preliminary products that can only be manufactured to a limited extent. However, manufacturers from various countries state that they can produce vaccines promptly if they are allowed to.
Stiglitz believes that developing countries do not have the ability to produce Covid vaccines as an assertion that contains "thoroughly racist and neocolonialist undertones."
Germany must rethink its position quickly.
"Especially since the German Chancellor Angela Merkel is currently risking to undermine her good worldwide reputation and perhaps even her political legacy in the final phase of her 16-year term in office," writes Stiglitz.
The G7 countries have decided to distribute 2.3 billion vaccine doses to poorer countries by the end of next year.
Given a world population of eight billion people, some experts, including Stiglitz, consider this number to be far from sufficient.
"Until the German side changes its position, the pandemic will rage unchecked," said the economist.
fdi
