David is a member of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade, a member of the Committee on Human Rights, and a substitute member on the Constitutional Affairs Committee. David is also a delegate to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.

The NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY (NPT) will have its five-yearly Review Conference this year at the United Nations in New York from 3 to 28 May. Ahead of this, at THIS WEEK'S STRASBOURG PLENARY (8 – 11 March) the European Parliament is considering what the Council is doing to ensure that the EU has a focused common position and asks MEPs to consider what  the priorities are, and what  further steps towards nuclear disarmament need to be taken. President Obama called for a nuclear-free world in Prague in April 2009, and the UN Secretary-General has put forward a clear five point plan of action that would enable this objective to be achieved.  David, and many of his fellow European Parliamentarians believe the European Parliament and EU should support President Obama’s initiatives, including support for negotiations on a Nuclear Weapons Convention to bring together the key objectives of preventing the use and spread of nuclear weapons, increasing the security of proliferation-sensitive materials and technologies, and the reduction and elimination of existing arsenals and have written to him (click graphic for PDF) requesting the withdrawal of US nuclear weapons from EU territories. See http://www.un.org/en/conf/npt/2010/index.shtml for further background on the NPT review conference.

On 10 February, at the Strasbourg Plenary, David requests that the Commissioner for Trade look seriously at Oxfam's proposal for a 'Robin Hood Tax' - a 0.05% tax on bank transactions to raise billions for development projects in the Third World. See also http://robinhoodtax.org.uk/

"Don't do deals with Columbia, the most dangerous
place in the world to be a trade unionist"

See David's question to the Commission on TOUCHSTONE blog.

ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE MEDICINES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Thousands of men, women and children with treatable diseases die every week in developing countries because the medicine they need is simply too expensive. At the same time customs officers, following requests by pharmaceutical companies fearing patent infringement, are seizing perfectly legitimate generic drugs destined for these countries.

A new Working Group on Innovation, Access to Medicines and Poverty-Related Diseases has been established to put the needs of poor patients in developing countries before the profits of the big drug companies.

Speaking at the launch, David Martin stressed:

“The EU has a major impact on the access to medicines for developing countries, through its policies, legislation and bilateral and regional trade agreements. It is vital that the EU adopts appropriate measures to improve access to existing medical tools and stimulates research and development into methods for treating the suffering poor of developing countries."

David is Chairperson of the new group and Labour’s spokesperson on International Trade in the European Parliament.

See article in Pharma Times: http://www.pharmatimes.com/WorldNews/article.aspx?id=17336

See also excellent video outlining the aims of the new group at

http://www.msfaccess.org/main/access-patents/european-parliament-working-group/">http://www.msfaccess.org/main/access-patents/european-parliament-working-group/

David Martin congratulates Cllr Graeme Morrice on his selection to be the Labour Parliamentary candidate for the Livingstone constituency at the forthcoming General Election, adding “I have known Graeme during my entire time as a European MP and know how well he has served his constituents on West Lothian Council. I look forward to working with him following the General Election."

FOR DAVID MARTIN'S WORK IN BRUSSELS AND STRASBOURG, visit: David Martin at the European Parliament

For enquiries write to: DAVID MARTIN MEP, Midlothian Innovation Centre, Pentlandfield, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RE

Telephone 0131 440 9040 Email: david@martinmep.com

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