126. The representative of the European Union said that the Council October meeting had followed a symposium organized by the WTO Secretariat on LDC priority needs for technical and financial cooperation. His delegation had welcomed that opportunity to engage further with other Members and international organizations on how to assist the LDCs with TRIPS implementation.
127. Following its annual notifications of technical assistance under TRIPS Article 67, the European Union had undertaken to provide further and more detailed information on the technical assistance work it had recently carried out specifically in relation to LDCs in the area of IP. That information had now been set out in document IP/C/W/568. It provided an overview of recent specific projects, including those being undertaken in Bangladesh, Uganda and Zambia, as well as regional work being carried out in conjunction with COMESA, OAPI and ARIPO. It also provided information on the way the European Union delivers technical assistance and how its various bodies work together with recipient countries and other organizations.
128. The document provided information on EU funding of technical assistance, in particular in relation to the European Development Fund and the Development Cooperation Instrument. It also described how LDCs could obtain technical assistance, including an explanation of how Country and Regional Strategy papers functioned; these were three annual plans that framed the way technical assistance was provided.
129. Technical assistance was also available for developing countries, as well as for developed countries. In that regard, he referred to the latest annual notification under Article 67 (IP/C/W/560/Add.7), which contained numerous examples of those programmes.
