Question for written answer E-000459/2021 to the Commission Rule 138 Marc Botenga (The Left), Kateřina Konečná (The Left), Clare Daly (The Left), Mick Wallace (The Left), Manuel Bompard (The Left), Niyazi Kizilyürek (The Left), Manon Aubry (The Left), Pernando Barrena Arza (The Left), Petros Kokkalis (The Left), Dimitrios Papadimoulis (The Left), Martina Michels (The Left), Anne-Sophie Pelletier (The Left), Nikolaj Villumsen (The Left), Giorgos Georgiou (The Left), Eugenia Rodríguez Palop (The Left) Subject: Suspending intellectual property rights for COVID‑19‑related medicines and technologies The Commission has repeatedly opposed the proposal of India and South Africa to suspend intellectual property rights (IPR) for COVID‑19‑related medicines and technologies. It has claimed, as have some Member States, that a robust IP system is key to the development of innovative vaccines1, and that there is no indication that intellectual property rights have been a genuine barrier in relation to these medicines and technologies.2 Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and health advocacy organisations have repeatedly disputed this. Now that global vaccine shortages caused by the limited production capacity of companies like Pfizer/BioNTech have become apparent, Commission Spokesperson for Health, Stefan De Keersmaeker, claims that suspending IPR on vaccine-related technology would not help since the technology is very complex3. 1. Does the Commission agree that IPR are hindering the much-needed expansion of the production of the above-mentioned vaccines? 2. Does it agree with Mr De Keersmaeker that the complexity of a technology is a reason to limit access to it by third parties? 3. Considering the exceptional character of the pandemic, can the Commission explain why it thinks a one-off lifting of IPR on COVID-19-pandemic-related medicines and technologies would weaken the development of innovative vaccines? 1 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2020-004464-ASW_EN.html 2 https://www.keionline.org/34275 3 https://www.rtlplay.be/cest-pas-tous-les-jours-dimanche-p_8455/cest-pas-tous-les-jours-dimanche-la-course- au-vaccin-c_12827205 PE666.946v01-00.