The European Commission adopted on 27 April 2005 a Programme for Action to strengthen Europe’s support to confront HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis outside the EU’s borders. The initiative follows the promise made by Commissioner Louis Michel, in charge of Development and Humanitarian Aid, to do better, do more and quicker in delivering on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
The Commission proposes a series of concrete and cheap but effective activities such as the distribution of free bed-nets and contraceptives, as well as free access to voluntary counselling and testing for HIV/AIDS. Together with global partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the action programme intends to strengthen regional networks to promote affordable and safe pharmaceutical products, to strengthen the regulatory capacity in partner countries and to support further research.
The Programme for Action will be discussed by the General Affairs & External Relations Council at the end of May.
Background
The Community alone contributes currently €239.02 million/year (annual average 2003-2006) to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB. This includes a substantial contribution to the UN’s Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM), to which the EC is currently the second largest individual donor. Some of the actions proposed in the programme adopted require new resources. The Communication consequently suggests the Union, in the framework of the budgetary discussions 2007-2013, to agree on a considerable contribution to help filling the financing gap on these three killer diseases, evaluated by the UN at US$14.9 billion/year by 2007.
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