Come clean on EU trade pact

EDITORIAL

Published: 17 Aug 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

The charter has made it very clear. If the government wants to enter into an international trade agreement which will have a big impact on society and public well-being, it must reveal the information and organise public hearings for stakeholders before getting approval from parliament.

The key words are transparency and public interest. It is a cause of worry, therefore, that the Pheu Thai Party-led government _ in its eagerness to ink a bilateral trade agreement with the European Union _ is bypassing policy transparency and the public interest by withholding information from the public on how gravely the agreement stands to affect public access to affordable medicine.

In addition, the government is also showing an intention to bypass the mandatory public hearings altogether.

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bern1005
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Discussion 6 : 17 Aug 2012 at 21.486
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The generics issue worried me, so I checked some other news sites. If you look at what is happening with the EU-India FTA, it has already been agreed that India can keep producing generics for internal use but (if the proposal goes through as stated), the "data exclusivity" part of the agreement will prevent India from exporting the generics until the exclusive period has expired. If we get a similar deal, Thailand can still produce life-saving generic drugs to deal with public health crises such as the HIV and Aids.
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bern1005
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Discussion 5 : 17 Aug 2012 at 21.425
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There are of course certain to be parts of the FTA that will damage some of our industries but benefit others. Right now, all have, at best, are the initial negotiating positions of the two sides.

While it is interesting to know about these leaked proposals, there is not as yet any finalised FTA that can be presented to public hearings and then to parliament.
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rebel4ever
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Discussion 4 : 17 Aug 2012 at 08.204
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Sign the treaty as nothing will change. Thailand also has to respect intellectual property rights, but you can buy any fake on the street and market, as lady Gaga proved.. Even if the EU would send inspectors checking pharmacies and hospitals, the production and sales of generics will continue...
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robins
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Discussion 3 : 17 Aug 2012 at 08.203
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@ discussion 2 The Opinion section of any newspaper is not the place to look for objective journalism. It's too bad, but not surprising that the EU puts drug company profits ahead of saving lives, most people who get them under compulsory licensing could not afford to buy them anyway. It's reasonable if the government makes the providing of drugs for the indigent a condition of allowing these companies to sell their products here to those who can afford them.
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tomb
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Discussion 2 : 17 Aug 2012 at 07.292
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Seems the author wants Thailand to continue violating international patents under the guise of being a third world country.

Is 80 billion baht that much compared to all the other possible benefits coming from FTAs? I doubt it. Why not compare these figures instead of misleading the public with a highly opinionated article? Objective journalism please.
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oldairman
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Discussion 1 : 17 Aug 2012 at 06.341
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Money before people yet again.

Never mind if the country and people lose out yet again.
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Come clean on EU trade pact | Bangkok Post: opinion