Vaccines: visiting South Africa, Macron pleads for a temporary lifting of patents
Emmanuel Macron and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria on May 28, 2021. AP - Themba Hadebe
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4 min
After Kigali, Emmanuel Macron continued his mini African tour in South Africa.
He arrived in Pretoria this Friday for a visit focused on the Covid-19 pandemic, South Africa being the country on the continent most affected.
Emmanuel Macron and Cyril Ramaphosa have launched an appeal to the international community on the production of vaccines.
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With our special
correspondent in Pretoria,
Pierre Firtion
Emmanuel Macron and Cyril Ramaphosa have called for Africa to be able in the medium term to manufacture vaccines and not just vaccines against Covid-19.
France will put the problem on the table at the next G7 in early June where South Africa and India will be invited.
"
Patents should not be a brake,
" said Emmanuel Macron during a joint press conference with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, finally agreeing to ask for a temporary lifting of rights even if the priority remains the transfer of technology.
South Africa is one of the most advanced countries to manufacture these vaccines in the near future.
In this context, Emmanuel Macron announced this Friday afternoon that France would support financially, with other partners like Germany, the United States or the World Bank and South African pharmaceutical companies like Aspen or Bivouac .
The French president pleaded for greater transparency
on the price of vaccines
, especially with regard to the poorest countries.
Emmanuel Macron also announced that France was adding 500 million euros to the ACT-A initiative.
For its part, the European Union will deliver 100 million doses to the Covax solidarity mechanism carried by the countries of the European Union and the WHO.
We cannot continue to wait our turn at the end of the line to receive these life-saving vaccines.
We are waiting in this line but we are tired, we too want to be at the front of the line and this from now on.
Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa
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France
South Africa
Vaccines
Emmanuel Macron
Cyril Ramaphosa