Tag: #HumanRights

At Their Fingertips: The First International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage 

Research Stream: Social Lives 

Author: Eva Sophie Krolla, Research Assistant, Protecting the Right to Culture of Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing Cultural Diversity in EU Law: Exploring New Paths (DANCING)  

On 17th October 2003, exactly 21 years ago, the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (hereinafter: the 2003 Convention). The 2003 Convention represents a milestone in recognising immaterial cultural heritage and complements UNESCO’s efforts under the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage of 1972 with its well-known World Heritage List. In honour of this, the General Conference of UNESCO declared 17 October the ‘International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage’ at its 20th anniversary in 2023, which will be celebrated for the first time this year. To date, 183 States Parties have acceded to the 2003 Convention including all 27 European Union (EU) Member States, with Malta being the last one to ratify it in 2017. 

Continue reading “At Their Fingertips: The First International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage “

Competition Law Enforcement in the EU and Access to Health Technologies: An Overview of the EU 2024 Competition Law Report on Pharmaceuticals and Medical Technologies – Update on Competition Enforcement in the Pharmaceutical Sector (2018-2022)

Author: Dr. Opeyemi Kolawole Post-doctoral Researcher, PatentsInHumans Project, ALL Insittute and Department of Law and Crimonology

Research Stream: Social Technologies

Competition law is pivotal in maintaining market equilibrium and safeguarding consumer welfare. In the European Union, competition law principles are enshrined in Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). While Article 101 prohibits the formation and enforcement of agreements that have the object or effect of distorting competition, Article 102 prevents a dominant firm from abusing its dominant market position.

Competition in healthcare services is critical to providing access to affordable medicines and medical technologies, ensuring expensive pharmaceutical and medical technologies do not significantly strain public and private finances. With their proactive enforcement of competition rules, the EU Commission and the 27 National Competition Authorities (NCAs) have been instrumental in this regard. In the recent Report on Competition Enforcement in the Pharmaceutical Sector, published in January 2024, the EU Commission provides an overview of how EU competition rules have been enforced to prevent and rectify business practices which may harm competition in the common market and consumer welfare. This article examines some of the key decisions reached by the Commission and some of the NCAs and highlights potential improvement opportunities to maximise consumer welfare.

Continue reading “Competition Law Enforcement in the EU and Access to Health Technologies: An Overview of the EU 2024 Competition Law Report on Pharmaceuticals and Medical Technologies – Update on Competition Enforcement in the Pharmaceutical Sector (2018-2022)”
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