Statement by Commissioner Louis Michel on World AIDS Day - 1 December 2004

The World AIDS Day must be an occasion to remind us all of the need to reinforce our commitment to confront HIV/AIDS in Europe and throughout the world, when the pandemic continues to spread and the number of people currently living with HIV/AIDS gets close to 40 million.

Girls and women carry a heavier burden and are affected more often and at an earlier age by HIV/AIDS than men. The situation is particularly critical in Sub-Saharan Africa, where higher rates of poverty among women, the lack of education leading to lower literacy rates, lack of access to effective prevention tools, the pervasive effects of gender inequality, and sexual violence inside and outside marriage make women more susceptible to infection. Moreover, the number of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS grows day by day to beyond the 15 million already affected.

The European Commission is the second largest donor to the Global Fund to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in the developing world and has, since October 2004, a "policy framework"[1] which I am committed to translating into concrete initiatives in those countries through an Action Plan to be presented early next year.

Education and providing access to treatment for people infected will be my prime objective. The European Commission intends to pursue this with the WTO, through EC legislation on tiered pricing of pharmaceutical products.


[1] COM52004) 726 final of 26 October 2004

| Haut |

• EP - World Aids Day (30/11/2004)