Written declaration No. 473 | Doc. 12511 | 31 January 2011

Promoting the Council of Europe Convention on the counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health (MEDICRIME Convention)

Signatories: Mr Bernard MARQUET, Monaco, ALDE ; Mr Laurent BÉTEILLE, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Olena BONDARENKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr André BUGNON, Switzerland, ALDE ; Mr André BUGNON, Switzerland, ALDE ; Mr Agustín CONDE, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Gvozden Srećko FLEGO, Croatia, SOC ; Mr Paul FLYNN, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Cindy FRANSSEN, Belgium, EPP/CD ; Ms Claude GREFF, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Andreas GROSS, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Arlette GROSSKOST, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Jean HUSS, Luxembourg, SOC ; Mr Denis JACQUAT, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Francine JOHN-CALAME, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Albrecht KONEČNÝ, Austria, SOC ; Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Felix MÜRI, Switzerland, ALDE ; Ms Carina OHLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr André SCHNEIDER, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Arūnė STIRBLYTĖ, Lithuania, ALDE ; Ms Tineke STRIK, Netherlands, SOC ; Mr Oreste TOFANI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Mustafa ÜNAL, Turkey, EPP/CD ; Mr Luca VOLONTÈ, Italy, EPP/CD ; Ms Katrin WERNER, Germany, UEL ; Mr Jordi XUCLÀ, Spain, ALDE

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

1. We, the undersigned members of the Parliamentary Assembly, welcome the adoption by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers of the Convention on the counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health (MEDICRIME Convention) on 9 December 2010.

2. This Convention, for the first time, criminalises the counterfeiting and also manufacturing and supplying of medical products placed on the market without authorisation or without being in compliance with security requirements. It is the first international criminal law instrument to oblige States Parties to criminalise these contraventions.

3. We call upon the Committee of Ministers:

• to open the Convention for signature as soon as possible;
• to put all the necessary resources at the disposal of the monitoring body to allow for full oversight over the implementation of the Convention by the States Parties once the Convention has come into force;
• to give support to the necessary complementary activities carried out by the Council of Europe to practically implement the Convention.

4. We call upon member and non member states of the Council of Europe to sign and ratify the Convention as soon as possible following its opening for signature.