Industry Holds Closed-Door Conference With Governments On Access And Benefit-Sharing

A conference involving European governments and industry on how to comply with the new European Union rules on access and benefit sharing, organised by the International Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the agriculture industry, is taking place this week in Paris. Seemingly contrary to the subject of access and sharing, the event is closed to the public and media.

The event titled “Working out ABS: an ICC Conference on Access and Benefit Sharing” aims at “providing the latest information” on how to comply with the new EU rules before they become fully applicable on 12 October. It is taking place on 28-29 September.

The programme shows panels including the scope of the new EU regulation, how to use the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Clearing House mechanism, and the use of genetic resources in research and development.

Speakers include representatives of the pharmaceutical industry and the biotech industry, such as the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, the German Association of Biotechnology Industries, Monsanto, and Croplife.

Also speaking at the conference are European Commission and government representatives, such as the United Kingdom Natural History Museum, the Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Environment of Spain, and the Ministry for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy of France.

The secretariat of the CBD is also expected to be participating, as well as the Union for Ethical BioTrade.

The organisers indicated to Intellectual Property Watch that press would be prevented from participating in the event, where “frank and open discussions” would be encouraged. But it is not clear how other stakeholders affected by the new rules will be able to have such an opportunity.