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INTRODUCTION
The Council of Europe
drafted a convention which constitutes, for the first time, a binding
international instrument in the criminal law field on counterfeiting of
medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health
(MEDICRIME Convention).
The Council of Europe
has long been concerned about the absence of harmonised international
legislation, non-deterrent sanctions that were not proportionate to the
harm caused to patients, and the involvement of criminal organisations
which operate across borders.
Counterfeiting medical
products and similar crimes threaten the right to life enshrined in the
European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR).
Incidences of counterfeit medical products and similar crimes undermine
public trust in healthcare systems and authorities' surveillance thereof.
Counterfeiting of
medical products and similar crimes have a global spread, no country is
spared.
The Council of Europe
sees it as a common responsibility for the global community to eradicate
this phenomenon, and hence accession to the Medicrime Convention, which
will be formally adopted later this year, will be open for all states
interested in working with Council of Europe on this important goal.
Safeguarding of public
health through penal measures against criminal behaviors, protection of
victims, promotion of cooperation at national and international levels,
and preventive measures are the overarching aims of the above
convention.
The core values of the
Council of Europe, a pan-European political organisation comprising 47
member states in Europe, are the protection of human rights and
essential freedoms, the promotion of the rule of law and of pluralist
democracies. The Organisation aims at identifying solutions for
challenges faced by today's societies.
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Text of the Convention
