Left complains vote on move to remove protections for coronavirus vaccines was unfairly pushed back
Left-wing members of the European Parliament have accused their colleagues of confecting an “outrageous delay” in a decision on whether to support waiving intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines.
Global momentum has been growing for waivers on vaccine protections, with supporters saying it will accelerate efforts to bring the pandemic under control. Earlier this month the US president Joe Biden gave his support to lifting patents on vaccines, in a reversal of the country’s previous stance, but the European Commission has remained more sceptical.
The European Parliament is to debate the issue on 19 May, but The Left Party has blamed opponents for delaying an actual vote until June.
“Today, we witnessed yet another outrageous delay from the EU on access to vaccines,” it said on 12 May. “We have been requesting a vote on [the] waiver for months, and each month there has been a postponement.”
The group lambasted rivals for what it called “petty tactics” in postponing such a bill, blaming the European Conservatives and Reformists, European People’s Party and Renew Europe groups for pushing back the vote.
The Left Party claimed that right-leaning groups were obstructing a vote because they were protecting the commercial interests of pharmaceutical companies that own patents on Covid-19 vaccines.
In response the ECR group denied responsibility for the delay, saying, “We didn’t ‘delay’ anything as the debate has just yet started.”
A spokesperson told Research Professional News that it believed a waiver should be considered only as a “very last resort” and only with support from member states to make sure that the moves will be limited and temporary.
They added, “We are sceptical of waiving patents as the principal and first solution to equitable access to Covid vaccines worldwide. Instead, we should focus on increasing production capacities and distributing vaccines, maintaining—rather than lowering—incentives for innovation and research, and promoting cooperation between innovators and manufacturers.”
Research Professional News has contacted the European People’s Party and Renew Europe groups for comment.
Splits have also emerged between groups on the issue of vaccine passports, which supporters say will boost mobility for those who are jabbed. In a statement on 25 April, the EPP criticised left-leaning parties for their opposition to the documents, saying it “regrets that the majority of the Greens and Communists and many Socialists and Liberals voted against the swift implementation of the vaccination certificate”.