H.E. Ambassador Dr. Walter Werner

European Union

9   FOLLOW-UP TO THE SIXTEENTH ANNUAL REVIEW UNDER PARAGRAPH 2 OF THE DECISION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTICLE 66.2 OF THE TRIPS AGREEMENT

164.   The European Union and its Members take their commitments and obligations under Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement very seriously and try to deliver technology transfer programmes to LDCs in a way that reacts to natural, social, health, climate and economic changes. The programmes are specifically tailored to the needs of least developed countries (LDCs) and their regional organizations. The programmes listed in the EU report are provided by the European Commission or other European institutions or the EU Members. The main incentive for the EU companies or organisations to voluntarily transfer technologies to LDCs is that they get funding from the European Commission or the EU Members for these activities. The high number of programmes shows that this incentive has proven to be effective. 165.   We would like to thank the Secretariat and also in particular the LDC participants for the very detailed and useful Workshop. We saw a lot of common ground and always stand ready for any fruitful exchanges. 166.   The EU had presented it report at the last meeting and actively participated in the Workshop held from 11 to 12 February. In the interest of time, we therefore refrain from presenting our long list of exemplary projects again.

28.   The Chair recalled that, at the previous meeting in November 2018, the Council had on its agenda the Sixteenth Annual Review under Paragraph 2 of the Decision on the Implementation of Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement. At that meeting, delegations had briefly presented the reports submitted by developed country Members under Article 66.2(IP/C/W/646 and Addenda) as well as a proposal by the LDC Group entitled "Proposal on the Implementation of Article 66 of the TRIPS Agreement" (IP/C/W/640 and IP/RD/24). The Council had agreed that it would revert to the item at its next meeting to permit continued consideration of the submitted material.
29.   In order to give LDCs more time to absorb the information provided by developed countries in their reports, and also to ensure that those reports were available in the official languages of the WTO, the Article 66.2 Workshop, which would have usually been held in November 2018, had been postponed. The Workshop had taken place in the two days preceding the meeting of the Council. Some of the capital-based delegates, who had participated in that Workshop would participate in the discussions under this agenda item. He invited delegations to comment on the materials that had been submitted for the meeting that had taken place in November 2018 and to share their experiences from the Article 66.2 Workshop.
30.   The representatives of Chad, on behalf of the LDC Group, the Central African Republic, Senegal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Vanuatu, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, the United States of America, Norway, New Zealand, the European Union, Canada and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) took the floor.

IP/C/M/91, IP/C/M/91/Add.1, IP/C/M/91/Corr.1