France says it can't stop destruction of US contraceptives
In a statement to AFP on Friday, the French health ministry said it had 'no means to requisition' the contraceptives, which belong to USAID, the US international aid agency.
'Since contraceptives are not considered essential medicines and this is not a case of supply shortages, we have no means to requisition the stock', the ministry said.
On 23 July, press reports revealed that the US administration planned to destroy a stockpile of contraceptives worth an estimated €10 million, which had been stored in Geel, Belgium. The products are now being transported to France for incineration by specialist waste companies.
The contraceptives were part of USAID's global reproductive health programmes, which were drastically scaled back after the Trump administration cut the agency's operational budget earlier this year. Consequently, many of its aid activities, including the distribution of contraceptives, have ceased to function, rendering its role in this field largely defunct, according to NGOs familiar with the matter.
Calls to stop the incineration
On Thursday, Sarah Durocher, president of France's Family Planning Association, said that part of the stockpile may already have left Belgium.
'We were informed 36 hours ago that the removal of these boxes of contraceptives had begun', she said on Thursday.
Durocher has called on incineration companies to refuse to destroy the stock and 'to oppose this senseless decision.'
Several NGOs have tried in recent weeks to negotiate with the US government to purchase or repurpose the contraceptives, some of which remain usable until 2031.
"We were informed by the US administration that our offer had been rejected, and we learned then that the government had decided to destroy the products - meaning that offers from our partners were also declined", International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) told Euractiv.
The cost of incinerating the contraceptives is estimated at €150,000, a price the US government appears willing to pay rather than opt for donation or resale.
"We've been aware of these stockpiles since April and have worked tirelessly to find a solution and negotiate with the US, but our efforts have been blocked at every turn. This leads us to believe that the decision is not about money, but is instead driven by an extreme ideological stance. It's about power and control", IPPF added.
The French delegation of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament has called on the European Commission to intervene and prevent the destruction, questioning its legality under EU treaties and legislation.
While the Commission confirmed that it had taken note of the letter and was monitoring the situation, it did not answer Euractiv's question on whether it would intervene in this case.
The European Commission should be more outspoken about the senseless destruction of life-saving contraceptive supplies", IPPF concluded.
(bms, de)
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