Response by DG SANCO on January 13th, 2005

Dear Mr Guarinieri,

Thank you for you letter of 8th December 2004 to the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso on the state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Mr Barroso has asked me to reply to your letter on his behalf.

The Commission has set out how it intends to address the re-emerging epidemic in Europe in its working paper ”coordinated and integrated approach to combat HIV/AIDS within the European Union and its Neighborhood“ adopted on 8th September 2004. This covers a range of specific commitments in areas such as prevention, addressing vulnerable groups (such as youth, injecting drug users, migrants), treatment and care strengthening research, and building effective partnerships, including the involvement of Civil Society.

Implementing this working paper is a key priority for the Commission. All relevant Commission Services are working together with the Member States, international organizations, and civil society to fulfill the objectives set out in the document. Internal structures are put in place to ensure the coordination of these activities.

As the actions set out in this document will be completed by the end of this year, an assessment of achievements so far will be carried out and on this basis a Communication is foreseen this autumn. It will set out a more focused and longer term strategy to combat HIV/AIDS within the European Union and neighboring countries.

Moreover, on 26th October 2004, the commission adopted a Communication on a coherent European Policy Framework for the external action to confront HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, accompanied by the Second Progress report on the EC Program for Action on accelerated action HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in the context of poverty reduction. The main policy areas identified in the Communication are to enhance human resource capacity, to increase resources to confront the three diseases through innovative actions, to advocate affordable and safe pharmaceutical products, to strengthen the research and development of new tools and interventions, and to strengthen partnerships at all levels. The Action Plan to implement these policies is foreseen for April 2005. A Communication covering the EU and neighboring countries will be complementary to this.

Political commitment and leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS is the prerequisite for taking effective actions. Europe has to take the lead in confronting HIV/AIDS and the Commission is committed to fulfill its responsibilities. Action will only be effective, however, if all actors work together to build a strong partnership to tackle the epidemic. We need continuous and open discussions with each other to ensure that this is effective. My services have already put in place structures and mechanisms to involve Civil Society in all relevant HIV/AIDS activities and I will make sure that also your representatives will be invited.

I hope that building on the broad experience we have already in Europe in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic, extracting best practices and learning from failures and sharing knowledge and information with our partners we will achieve a measurable impact on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Europe and beyond.

Yours sincerely,

Robert Madelin

Director General of DG SANCO

EATN - European AIDS Treatment News, Volume 13, I – Spring 2005