David Earnshaw
Josephine Wood

Abstract
The biotechnology patenting directive remains one of the most controversial ever adopted. It is also the only one to have been rejected by European Parliament following agreement in a conciliation committee. The process through which the directive passed illustrates many distinctive features of EU policy making today. In addition, the lobbying to which the proposed directive was subjected was probably decisive in determining the outcome of the process. A key factor for the future of European biotechnology policy will be the role of European Union institutions and, in particular, the European Parliament.

This paper was first published as just one of six or so such papers in Journal of Commercial Biotechnology Volume 5 Number 4. For subscription information, click here.

About the authors
David Earnshaw is Director of European Government Affairs and Public Policy, SmithKline Beecham, Brussels. Prior to joining SB he was Deputy Managing Director of GPC Market Access Europe, a leading Brussels-based public affairs consultancy. He worked previously with the Chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection; and has taught European politics at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh and the University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK. He has published widely on EU decision making and the European Parliament.

Josephine Wood is EU Policy Advisor with SmithKline Beecham, based in Brussels. Prior to joining SB in 1997, she lived and worked in Brussels, specialising in EU health, pharmaceutical and biotechnology policy. She has worked in the European Commission, and is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh and the College of Europe, Bruges.

To make any comments on this article, or to ask a question of the author, please contact the publisher. If you would like to submit an article please subscribe to our PL Intelligence service.

The opinions expressed in the articles published in this section do not necessarily reflect those of Pharmalicensing or UTEK Corporation. No actions including proposals to or agreements with other companies should be taken by any reader without obtaining specific business or legal advice. Neither the publisher nor the authors accept any liability for any actions or activities undertaken by any reader or other third party as a consequence of these articles or for any errors or omissions therein.