71. The representative of the European Communities stated that he had no difficulty in going along with the Chairperson's first option, i.e. to continue with open-ended discussions. He recognized that the other approach suggested by the Chair might be more productive but, although he was prepared to discuss a number of topics listed by the Chair, he did not want to commit himself now to such an approach. Clearly, specific issues had been raised over the past year in the Council, which deserved further examination and possibly also clarification. However, it was not clear that all of them were strictly linked to intellectual property protection or within the scope of Article 27.3(b). Work that was being undertaken in other fora and the TRIPS Council should not necessarily act in parallel. Finally, he noted that a number of the issues presented had been raised by Members which had hardly started implementing the provisions of Article 27.3(b).
