RESOLUTION of the representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council,of 29 May 1986 on AIDS

THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL,

Whereas AIDS causes much human suffering;

Whereas, in the fight against AIDS, all the Member States now have to and will in future also have to cope with similar problems;

Whereas the increase in cases of AIDS will lead to a significant increase in the already high costs connected with AIDS;

Whereas, in the present state of science, there is no vaccine or cure for the viral infection; whereas the development of an effective vaccine or anti-viral agent will probably require several more years; whereas research efforts in the Community and coordination of such efforts are therefore of special importance;

Whereas health information and education will make a decisive contribution towards containing the spread of AIDS and reassuring the public,

1. request the Member States and the Commission to examine what joint activities can be developed in the field of health information and education to bolster the campaign against AIDS;

2. request the Member States and the Commission to examine as well what joint initiatives should be taken to solve the problems of AIDS transmission by substances of human origin (such as blood, blood products, organs and sperm) and the medical, psychological and social problems of persons with a positive serology and in particular persons suffering from AIDS;

3. request the Commission to organize in this connection an exchange of information and experience and, if appropriate, to submit relevant proposals to them;

4. hope that the activities undertaken will avoid overlapping and will be consistent and coordinated with activities undertaken within the framework of other international organizations, and underline the importance of cooperation with the World Health Organization and with the Council of Europe.