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Commission to present Regulation on Community Patent
in October
The London protocol is to be the cornerstone for the
European Commission’s initiative on the regulation of the
community patents. this initiative which has been subject to
numerous rejections from the political ministers is once again
in the agenda of the Commission which plans to make "one final
robust attempt to push through the Community patent» said the
Commissioner for the Internal Market Charlie McCreevy.
EuropaBio is campaigning for reduced fees at EPO for biotech
SMEs on the lines of the EMEA fee
reductions. Contact: Dirk Carrez,
d.carrez@europabio.org
http://www.epo.org/
Cordis article -
http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&RCN
=26008&DOC=1&CAT=NEWS&QUERY=1154034999092
Europe's Patent Regime at the
Crossroads by Paul Meller
http://bulletin.sciencebusiness.net/ebulletins/showissue.php3?page=/548/art/5904
Limiting the red tape for FP7?
Now that the
FP7 programme budget has been agreed and approved, now the
challenge is to agree on the procedures that companies will
have to go through to access the funds. The first
informal high level meeting of the European Parliament,
Council and Commission to iron out differences was held on
September 5th. In its 2nd reading scheduled for November, the
European Parliament will therefore only pass amendments that
the other two institutions can accept, thus helping to ensure
that the new Framework Programme can be in place on 1st
January.
European companies set to significantly
increase their R&D investment over the next three
years
A recent survey of European companies about their
R&D investment, published by the European Commission on 23
August, shows that these companies expect their global
investments in R&D to grow by roughly 5% a year over the
next three years. This contrasts with growth of just 0.7% for
R&D investment reported in the 2005 Scoreboard. At that
growth rate, European companies would be doing at least as
well as their US counterparts in terms of R&D investment
for the first time in several years Commission survey shows.
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=
IP/06/1118&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
European Commission publishes Green paper on
detection technologies
The European Commission
has published a Green Paper on detection technologies as part
ot its work on law enforcement, customs and other security
authorities.
http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/news/consulting_public/news_consulting_public_en.htm
EU funding for collaboration on
genetics
New breakthroughs towards combating diseases
such as cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders,
diabetes and obesity are sought from research on mice in a new
trans-Atlantic research project announced by the European
Commission on 7 September. Partnering the European Commission
in supporting the research will be the US National Institutes
of Health and GenomeCanada. EU funding for the project is to
be drawn from the current 6th Framework Research Programme,
and will amount to 13 million EUR. http://ec.europa.eu/research/press/2006/pr0709en.cfm
Commission may legislate on healthcare
services
Launching a consultation on healthcare
services on 5 September, the European Commission aims to
resolve the conundrum posed by European Court of Justice case
law between freedom of movement for patients and the
preservation of public finances. Reluctant to choose between
liberalisation and regulation of services, the Commission is
keen to explore means of developing specific initiatives on
healthcare services. It is therefore preparing a communication
which health and consumer protection Commissioner Markos
Kyprianou has pledged to present before the end of September
in anticipation of concrete proposals in 2007. http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/
1150&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Consumers International criticises drugs
promotion practices
Consumers International (CI)
recently published a report on the promotional practices of
the pharma industry, chasitisng the industry on Corporate
Social Responsibility ethics. CI makes a number of
recommendations to the European Commission.
http://www.consumersinternational.org/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID
=95357&int1stParentNodeID=89650&int2ndParentNodeID=95352
EU takes action to stop unauthorised GM rice
imports from the US
Measures put in place by the
European Commission on 23 August, in response to the presence
of an unauthorised GMO in rice on the US market, were endorsed
by the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health
late on 24 August. Following the Commission's Decision, only
US long grain rice that is certified as free from the
unauthorised LL Rice 601, after tests by an accredited
laboratory using a validated testing method, can enter the EU.
A review clause is included in the Decision, whereby the
measures will remain in place for 6 months, after which they
will be reassessed by the Commission in light of developments
in the situation.
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=
IP/06/1120&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Member states again undecided about oilseed
rape
During the Agriculture Council on 18 September, EU
agriculture ministers remained split over the proposed
approval of Bayer`s herbicide-resistant GM rapeseed Ms8xRf3
(& lines Ms8 & Rf3) for placing on the EU market under
Directive 2001/18, with no Ministers changing position from
the earlier discussions. The dossier will now be passed back
to the Commission which is now empowered to pass the proposed
authorisation under its own authority.
http://www.eu2006.fi/news_and_documents/conclusions/vko38/
en_GB/1158642874945/_files/75932824226890765/default/91022.pdf
Commission looking to legislate on
enzymes
Currently, EU legislation does not cover
enzymes and among member states, legislation on food enzymes
differs significantly. According to the Commission, this can
lead to problems for the internal market and an unclear
situation for the EU consumer. In an effort to remedy this
problem, the Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation on
28 July aiming to harmonise evaluation, authorisation and
control procedures regarding enzymes used in foods. At the
same time, it proposes to review Directives 89/107/EEC on food
additives and 88/388/EEC on flavourings, introducing a general
authorisation regime for marketing in the EU. The idea is to
introduce a common European approval procedure for food
additives, flavourings and enzymes. To further this goal, the
Commission aims to introduce new rules on the content and
validity of enzyme applications established after consultation
with the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA).
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=
IP/06/1074&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN
3 -
5 October 2006; The BioTech Hot Spot; Paris, France
Be part of the future of BioTechnology
Each year, the BioTech Hot Spot descends upon a different
European city, bringing along its entourage of participating
companies and visiting professionals. Developed five years ago
as a unique biotech event the BioTech Hot Spot pavilion gives
biotech companies an opportunity to attract an audience
specifically interested in this sector of the pharmaceutical
manufacturing business. Organised as an integral part of ICSE
and CPhI Worldwide exhibitors on the BioTech Hot Spot can expect
to meet thousands of pharmaceutical prospects from over 110
countries. Biotech companies that participate in the BioTech Hot
Spot will get the opportunity to:
- Introduce their services to the pharmaceutical industry;
- Raise new venture capital;
- Exchange technology with established pharmaceutical
companies
http://www.europabio.org/events/October3_2006.htm
5-7 October 2006; Third
International Biotechnology Forum; Athens, Greece
EuropaBio is pleased to support the Third International Greek
Biotech Forum (IGBF). IGBF has become a leading forum for the
development and transfer of biotechnology to and from Greece,
Southeastern Europe and Middle East, as well as the Balkans and
Russia.
Key
speakers include: Dr. Johan Vanhemelrijck, Secretary General,
EuropaBio; Dr. Andrea Rappagliosi, Vice President, Corporate
Health Policy & Governmental Relations, Serono S.A; Prof.
Antonios Trakatellis, Vice-President of European Parliament; Dr.
Maurice Lex, DG Research European Commission; and Professor
George Chrousos, Univ. of Athens, Aghia Sophia Children's
Hospital.
For more information
please contact Mrs. Athina Vogga,
e-mail: info@bionova.gr telephone:+30 210 800 49 10, fax: +30
210 800 49 13 http://www.igbf.gr/
11 October 2006-2nd
- European Forum on "Fostering
Bio-Partnering between China & Europe" in
London. Visit the website for further details
www.e-unlimited.com/lspce/
18 October 2006; BIA
IPAC Seminar - Hot Topics in Intellectual Property
Please note that
BIA is offering EuropaBio members the same rate as their
own members.
Registration:
https://www.bioindustry.org/cgi-bin/events.pl?CD=44509
25-27 October 2006; EuroBiO, Paris EuropaBio is pleased to
support EuroBiO 2006
Please visit our EuropaBio exhibit stand and attend sessions
where EuropaBio staff will be speaking:
-Wednesday, October 25th from 9 am to 10.30 am, EuropaBio
Secretary General Johan Vanhemelrijck will co-chair a session on
Improving Food Safety and Traceability
-Thursday, October 26th from 11 am to 12.30 pm EuropaBio Director
for Public Policy Dirk Carrez will participate in a session on
Bioindustry and Environment Challenges
For further information, please visit
http://www.eurobio2006.com/
8 - 9 November – EuropaBio Advanced Therapies
Policy forum
Forum
in association with Jacob Fleming Group conference on Tissue
Engineering in Brussels More information,
r.weaver@europabio.org
12 - 14 November 2006; BioIreland 2006
BioIreland 2006 will examine global trends in biotechnology. It
will also provide opportunities for both indigenous and
multinational companies to present their technology and service
offerings and to network with international biotechnology
players.
For further information, please visit:
www.bioireland2006.com
22 - 23 January 2007- 2nd EPPOSI Workshop on
the Value of Innovation Dublin Castle, Ireland. For
further information, please visit
http://www.epposi.org/.
11-14
March 2007
Lyon,
France
BioVision
- The World Life Sciences Forum is a global platform for
dialogue and vigorous debate between Science, Society and
Industry leading to concrete recommendations for action.
EuropaBio is delighted to be partner of this event. EuropaBio
Special registration rates for Members, also ask EuropaBio for
details of the sponsoring package.
http://www.biovision.org/
EuropaBio
Avenue de l'Armée 6
B-1040 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 735 03 13
Fax: +32 2 735 49 60
Email:a.cornea@europabio.org
website:http://www.europabio.org/ |
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