TRIPS-plus must stop
’TRIPS-PLUS’ MUST STOP
The European Union caught in blatant contradictions
GRAIN
March 2003
Last month, GRAIN issued an open letter to Pascal Lamy, the chief of trade policy at the European Commission. In it, we disputed Mr Lamy’s public relations efforts aimed at trying to convince the world that the EU champions the rights of Third World farmers to save seeds. Lamy never responded. But never mind. This month, a new bilateral agreement between the EU and Lebanon entered into force. Under this treaty, Lebanon must join UPOV within the next four years. If this is championing farmers’ rights to save seeds, then something is really messed up.
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