Sant jappella għal qafas li jiżgura l-aċċess għall-mediċini f’pajjiżi żgħar u f’pajjiżi li jinsabu fiż-żoni periferali

L-eks Prim Ministru Alfred Sant esprima appoġġ għal abbozz ta’ riżoluzzjoni leġiżlattiva biex jiġi żgurat l-aċċess kontinwu għal prodotti mediċinali għall-użu mill-bniedem li saru disponibbli fir-Renju Unit fir-rigward tal-Irlanda ta’ Fuq, Ċipru, l-Irlanda u Malta. F’intervent fil-plenarja tal-Parlament Ewropew fi Strasburgu madanakollu enfasizza li l-Unjoni Ewropea għandha tistabbilixxi qafas li jqis id-daqs, il-flussi kummerċjali tradizzjonali u l-ħtieġa ta’ flessibbiltà li l-aċċess għall-mediċini f’żoni żgħar u periferiċi jrid jiżgura sabiex jissalvagwardjaw il-benesseri tal-popolazzjonijiet tagħhom.

Wara l-proposti mressqa mill-Kummissjoni Ewropea f’Diċembru li għadda biex tiġi żgurata l-provvista kontinwa fit-tul ta’ mediċini mir-Renju Unit lejn l-Irlanda ta’ Fuq u biex jiġi indirizzat tħassib pendenti dwar il-provvista f’Ċipru, l-Irlanda u Malta, il-Parlament Ewropew ivvota b’maġġoranza kbira sabiex japprova l-emendi fid-direttivi. Id-dispożizzjoni adottata temenda l-leġiżlazzjoni tal-Unjoni Ewropea biex tipprovdi fost l-oħrajn deroga temporanja sabiex Ċipru, l-Irlanda u Malta meta jkun meħtieġ biss ikunu jistgħu jkomplu jakkwistaw mediċini mir-Renju Unit.

L-Ewroparlamentari Laburista Sant stqarr li Brexit ħarbat flussi kummerċjali tradizzjonali li seħħew qabel is-sħubija tar-Renju Unit fl-Unjoni Ewropea, iżda li ġew inkorporati fis-sistema tal-kummerċ intern (intra-trading system) tal-Unjoni Ewropea. Saħaq li n-negozjati tal-Brexit li jkopru l-ħruġ tal-Ingliżi mill-Unjoni Ewropea ttrattaw ħafna minn dawn il-problemi iżda naqsu milli jipprovdu arranġamenti jew tranżizzjonijiet aċċettabbli għal żoni periferali u fuq żgħar bħal Malta u Ċipru fejn jidħlu mediċini minħabba d-dipendenza fuq l-importazzjoni li ttrattaw dawn is-sitwazzjonijiet li jinkludu l-gżejjer qishom kienu parti mis-suq Brittaniku.

Sant żied jgħid li ingħatat prijorità baxxa ħafna biex tkun solvuta din id-dipendenza biex tinbidel f’alternattiva vijabbli, possibilment minħabba l-volumi żgħar tas-suq involuti. B’riżultat ta’ dan, ħażniet ta’ mediċini familjari u bażiċi resqu viċin li jispiċċaw u dan seta’ ħoloq tbatija kbira.

L-abbozz ta’ riżoluzzjoni leġiżlattiva ġie adottat b’547 vot favur, 0 kontra u 4 astensjonijiet.

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Sant calls for a framework to secure the access to medicines of small scale and peripheral zones

Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant expressed support for a draft legislative resolution to ensure the continued access to medicinal products for human use made available in the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Ireland and Malta. In an intervention to the plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg however he emphasized that the European Union should lay down a framework that takes into account the size, traditional trade flows and need for flexibility that access to medicines in small scale and peripheral zones must secure in order to safeguard the welfare of their populations.

Following the proposals put forward by the European Commission last December to ensure the continued long-term supply of medicines from the United Kingdom to Northern Ireland and to address outstanding supply concerns in Cyprus, Ireland and Malta, the European Parliament has voted by an overwhelming majority to approve the amendments in the directives. The provision adopted amends the European Union legislation to provide amongst others a temporary derogation so that Cyprus, Ireland and Malta can continue to source medicines from the United Kingdom only if needed.

Labour MEP Sant stated that Brexit disrupted traditional trade flows that predate the United Kingdom membership to the European Union, but which became incorporated in the European Union intra-trading system. He stressed that the Brexit negotiations covering the British exit of the European Union dealt with many of these problems but failed to provide acceptable arrangements or transitions for peripheral and small-scale zones like Malta and Cyprus when it comes to medicines due to the reliance on importation that treated these island situations like they were part of the British market. 

Sant added that unravelling this reliance and replacing it with a viable alternative was given very low priority, possibly because of the small market volumes involved. As a result, stocks of familiar and basic medicines came close to running out and this could have created great hardship.

The draft legislative resolution was adopted with 547 votes in favour, 0 against and 4 abstentions.