Written Answers. - Official Engagements.
John Bruton
Question:
20
Mr. J. Bruton
asked the
Taoiseach
if, further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 5 to 14 of 29 February 2000, he has received a reply from the European Commission in response to the issue of HIV-AIDS which he raised with Commission President, Mr. Prodi; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7288/00]
John Bruton
Question:
21
Mr. J. Bruton
asked the
Taoiseach
if he will make a statement on the correspondence he has received from the British Prime Minister, Mr. Blair, regarding the issue of droit de suite; the number of occasions on which the British Prime Minister has written to him on this subject; and the response issued by him on each occasion.
[8176/00]
Ruairí Quinn
Question:
22
Mr. Quinn
asked the
Taoiseach
if he has received a reply to the letter he wrote to the President of the European Commission regarding the AIDS-HIV problem in Africa; the plans, if any, he has to put proposals to other EU leaders to deal with this problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8876/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 to 22, inclusive, together.
As I indicated to the House on 29 February, following my visit to southern Africa, I wrote to Commission President Prodi in January on the issue of HIV-AIDS in developing countries. My letter stressed the need for greater collective action and suggested that there was a case for reviewing the resources devoted to this issue both at Community level and in member states. I also raised the issue of access for developing countries to medicines necessary for the treatment of HIV-AIDS.
President Prodi has now replied to my letter outlining his shared concerns about the AIDS crisis and indicating that the Commission would welcome a discussion at Council level in the near future of the HIV-AIDS issue. Such a discussion might be based on the review of the implementation of the existing Council regulation governing Community expenditure on HIV-AIDS in developing countries. He suggested that the discussion could also take into account the suggestions presented in a 1998 Commission communication on increased solidarity to confront AIDS. I have also received a response from Prime Minister Rasmussen of Denmark expressing strong support for my call for a strengthened international response to the challenges posed by HIV-AIDS.
I understand that, following discussions with the Portuguese Presidency, the issue of HIV-AIDS will, in the first instance, be discussed by Development Ministers at their Council meeting on 18 May. That discussion will enable the Commission and member states, including Ireland, to review the current situation and to consider adaptations to both national and Community policies and expenditure to meet the crisis. The Council discussion could also study such related issues as the supply of medicines and the search for a vaccine.
The issue of HIV-AIDS will also be discussed at the forthcoming EU-Africa Summit in Cairo on 3 and 4 April which I will attend. I have indicated my interest in speaking in the development debate at the summit and my intention to focus my intervention on the HIV-AIDS crisis. The summit will be an important opportunity to highlight the extent of the challenge facing Africa and to register the fact that HIV-AIDS is no longer just a health emergency but has become a major development issue.
I welcome recent statements by the President of the World Bank that the bank will grant top priority to the fight against AIDS in its development activities. The bank also intends reallocating resources in favour of HIV-AIDS related projects. This action by the World Bank strengthens the case for more forceful and concerted action by the European Union in this area.
In coming weeks we will follow closely developments in the European Union and will work with the Commission and member states to focus greater attention and resources on the fight against HIV-AIDS in developing countries. If necessary, I will raise the matter at a future European Council to ensure political support at the highest level in the European Union for actions and resources commensurate with the scale of the crisis.
In Ireland's case we have more than tripled our contribution to UNAIDS to £250,000. We are also doubling expenditure on HIV-AIDS related activities in our bilateral aid programme to over £2 million. We have mainstreamed the fight against AIDS into all of our development activities. Further national contributions to HIV-AIDS related activities are under consideration.
On a separate matter, Prime Minister Blair wrote to me on 14 April 1999 seeking my support in opposing the proposed directive ondroit de suite. I replied at that time indicating our support for their position in opposing the directive on the basis, inter alia, that decisions on whether to apply droit de suite should remain with member states on the basis of subsidiarity.
Since that time this matter has been extensively discussed at various levels in the European Union, most recently on 16 March at the Internal Market Council, where it was noted that agreement had been reached on a compromise package which will allow a common position on the proposed directive to be adopted formally by Council in the near future. Details of the compromise text are still being finalised.
