Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The President of the Commission made a statement on this this morning and made it clear that the European Union is open to discussions on this matter. We want a practical solution that actually means that more vaccines will be produced in the global south and that needs to go beyond a TRIPS waiver. The EU position is we are committed and open to trying to reach an agreement with all members of the WTO on how to achieve the shared goal of providing timely and secure access to safe and affordable vaccines and medicines for all. This was reiterated by the European Union at the meeting of the WTO general council yesterday. There are existing flexibilities in the TRIPS agreement which allow compulsory licensing without negotiation with the patent holder in the context of a national emergency such as this and that a compulsory licence can cover exports to all countries that lack a manufacturing capability.

The EU has also welcomed the announcement of the new WTO director general to explore a third way to broaden access to Covid vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.

See this speech in context