AIDS affects more and more people. Besides, over 33 million people are living with AIDS world-wide and access to antiretroviral treatment remains poor. The European Parliament has approved a resolution calling on governments to pass new laws that ensure more affordable medication and to avoid free trade agreements that favour the commercial interests of the pharmaceutical sector over health needs.

MEPs sent a strong message to national governments ahead of the next International AIDS conference in Vienna. According to them, new laws are needed to provide affordable HIV-effective medications, including antiretroviral and other safe and effective medicines.

The European Parliament also criticises bilateral regional trade agreements where commercial interests are over health needs, in contravention of an agreement with the World Trade Organisation. The compulsory licensing of medicines and differential prices has not solved the problem so far.

Among the many policy proposals outlined to fight AIDs in Europe, MEPs call for more funding for research into new vaccines and microbiocides, for specific programmes to target vulnerable groups, for the EU Agency for fundamental Rights (FRA)  to gather evidence on discrimination and for measures to ensure that AIDS-infected people still have the right to a full sex life and fertility choice.

Homosexuals and women, vulnerable groups

The Parliament's resolution stresses the existing higher levels of infection among  key groups such as sex workers, homosexuals, transgender people, prisoners, injecting drug users, migrants, refugees and mobile workers, and calls for specific targeted actions to ensure their access to public health and fight their discrimination and stigmatisation by society.

Women and children are the most heavily affected. Prevention methods such as condoms and abstinence are not realistic options for many of those women, said MEPs who called instead for a safe and effective vaccine or microbiocide which could empower women to protect themselves without limiting their reproductive choice.

The EU has fought against this illness a long time ago. For instance, in 2009 they adopted a strategy for the period 2009-2013, stablishing mainly priority groups and regions.