Europe urges international cooperation on AIDS vaccine research

In mid-October representatives of seven European countries and the European Union called for international coordination and collaboration in developing a vaccine against HIV. Concerned about the scale of the epidemic and the “necessity” of a vaccine, the health ministers or their representatives from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the EU urged that researchers work cooperatively to accelerate AIDS vaccine candidates through research and clinical trials. Although they did not promise additional funding for the endeavor, the group was anxious to adopt a unified position before attending the G8 meeting in Washington, DC later in the week. France advocated that Europe should take a leading position in the development of an AIDS vaccine.