Corona vaccines: EU countries have reservations about the release of patents

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Biontech vaccine

Photo: Xander Heinl / photothek.de / imago images / photothek

From an EU perspective, the US proposal to release patents is not a quick solution to the global shortage of corona vaccines.

Many heads of state and government made this clear at their meeting in Porto, the dpa learned from EU circles late on Friday evening.

Chancellor Angela Merkel clearly opposed the patent release.

The CDU politician also used the argument that expertise about the new mRNA vaccines could flow to China, it said.

The People's Republic could use this know-how more easily than developing countries.

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US President Joe Biden had surprisingly backed calls from poorer countries to suspend patent protection for Covid-19 vaccines.

Then manufacturers all over the world could produce the vaccines without license fees.

Critics object that the obstacle is not the patents, but production capacity, knowledge and raw material supplies.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Porto that in the short and medium term, the release of patents would not bring an additional dose of vaccine.

Rather, the vaccines produced would have to be shared and exported.

"We invite everyone involved in the debate on renouncing intellectual property rights as we be ready to export a large part of what is produced in this region," she said.

More than 200 million cans exported from the EU

The EU announced that it is currently the only democratic region that exports corona vaccine on a large scale.

More than 200 million cans were exported from the EU, about as many as were shipped here.

The USA, however, will primarily keep the vaccine it produces itself. Biden said last week that the vaccines from the USA would also become an "arsenal" for other countries in the future.

"But before that, every American will have access."

Most of the 27 EU heads of state and government are in Porto for the informal social summit.

There they agreed on specific goals with trade unions and employers' associations on Friday evening in order to noticeably improve the social situation by 2030.

The employment rate is to rise, more employees are to be trained and poverty is to be reduced.

Von der Leyen said that the recovery from the corona crisis and the digital and green change in the economy is now about creating good, future-proof jobs.

The Corona development aid of up to 750 billion euros would help.

But they should now start quickly.

The program is larger than the Marshall Plan launched by the USA after the Second World War.

Chancellor Merkel did not travel to Portugal because of the pandemic in Germany, but switched on temporarily via video.

According to information from EU circles, a dinner on Friday also dealt with the distribution of the corona vaccines in Europe.

This is now going well.

The development of the digital vaccination certificate is also making progress, but needs to be accelerated even further.

The system should work from June and make travel easier.

Today, Saturday, the heads of state and government will once again discuss the implementation of social rights among themselves.

In addition, they network with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video.

The topic should be the start of negotiations on closer trade relations.

In addition, it is likely to be about the dramatic consequences of the pandemic in India.

cop / dpa