Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 78: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether cheap medicines are vital to the provision of health care in the developing world, that this was recognised by the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, and that no extra burdens should be placed on developing countries in the proposed new EU free trade agreements which might hinder such access; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4376/07]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I strongly support the right of developing countries to access affordable medicines to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other infectious diseases. This right was recognised in the WTO Ministerial Declaration made in Doha in 2001, which calls for "the implementation and interpretation of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) in a manner supportive of public health, by promoting both access to existing medicines and research and development into new medicine". The EU, as a party to the Declaration, is committed to supporting developing countries' efforts to protect public health, including access to affordable, quality medicines, and to ensuring these rights are protected in its bilateral trade agreements. Currently, negotiations are planned for new free trade agreements between the EU and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), South Korea and India, as well as Association Agreements with the Andean Community and Central America. Discussion on the draft mandates is at a preliminary stage. Ireland is actively engaged in this drafting process and is committed to ensuring that the negotiations will result in agreements which are consistent with the European Consensus on Development and that will benefit all sectors of the populations in the partner countries.