

Currently released so far... 51122 / 251,287
Articles
Brazil
Sri Lanka
United Kingdom
Sweden
00. Editorial
United States
Latin America
Egypt
Jordan
Yemen
Thailand
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
2011/05/13
2011/05/14
2011/05/15
2011/05/16
2011/05/17
2011/05/18
2011/05/19
2011/05/20
2011/05/21
2011/05/22
2011/05/23
2011/05/24
2011/05/25
2011/05/26
2011/05/27
2011/05/28
2011/05/29
2011/05/30
2011/05/31
2011/06/01
2011/06/02
2011/06/03
2011/06/04
2011/06/05
2011/06/06
2011/06/07
2011/06/08
2011/06/09
2011/06/10
2011/06/11
2011/06/12
2011/06/13
2011/06/14
2011/06/15
2011/06/16
2011/06/17
2011/06/18
2011/06/19
2011/06/20
2011/06/21
2011/06/22
2011/06/23
2011/06/24
2011/06/25
2011/06/26
2011/06/27
2011/06/28
2011/06/29
2011/06/30
2011/07/01
2011/07/02
2011/07/04
2011/07/05
2011/07/06
2011/07/07
2011/07/08
2011/07/10
2011/07/11
2011/07/12
2011/07/13
2011/07/14
2011/07/15
2011/07/16
2011/07/17
2011/07/18
2011/07/19
2011/07/20
2011/07/21
2011/07/22
2011/07/23
2011/07/25
2011/07/27
2011/07/28
2011/07/29
2011/07/31
2011/08/01
2011/08/02
2011/08/03
2011/08/05
2011/08/06
2011/08/07
2011/08/08
2011/08/09
2011/08/10
2011/08/11
2011/08/12
2011/08/13
2011/08/15
2011/08/16
2011/08/17
2011/08/18
2011/08/19
2011/08/21
2011/08/22
2011/08/23
2011/08/24
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Antananarivo
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Alexandria
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embasy Bonn
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Brazzaville
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangui
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Belfast
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Cotonou
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chiang Mai
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Chengdu
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
DIR FSINFATC
Consulate Dusseldorf
Consulate Durban
Consulate Dubai
Consulate Dhahran
Embassy Guatemala
Embassy Grenada
Embassy Georgetown
Embassy Gaborone
Consulate Guayaquil
Consulate Guangzhou
Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Hong Kong
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kolonia
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Krakow
Consulate Kolkata
Consulate Karachi
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Lusaka
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Lome
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy Libreville
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Leipzig
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Mission Geneva
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Mogadishu
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maseru
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Merida
Consulate Melbourne
Consulate Matamoros
Consulate Marseille
Embassy Nouakchott
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Nuevo Laredo
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Consulate Nagoya
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Praia
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Moresby
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Podgorica
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Hillah
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Surabaya
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy Tirana
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
Consulate Thessaloniki
USUN New York
USMISSION USTR GENEVA
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Mission CD Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
UN Rome
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vientiane
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AMGT
ASEC
AEMR
AR
APECO
AU
AORC
ADANA
AJ
AF
AFIN
AMED
AS
AM
ABLD
AFFAIRS
AMB
APER
ACOA
AND
AA
AE
AADP
AID
AO
AL
AG
AORD
ADM
AINF
AINT
ASEAN
AORG
ABT
APEC
AY
ASUP
ARF
AGOA
AVIAN
ATRN
ANET
AGIT
ASECVE
ABUD
AODE
ALOW
ADB
AN
ADPM
ASPA
ARABL
AFSN
AZ
AC
AIAG
AFSI
ASCE
ASIG
ACABQ
ADIP
AFGHANISTAN
AROC
ADCO
ACOTA
ANARCHISTS
AMEDCASCKFLO
AK
ARABBL
ASCH
ANTITERRORISM
AGRICULTURE
AOCR
ARR
ASSEMBLY
AORCYM
AFPK
ACKM
AGMT
AEC
APRC
AIN
AFPREL
ASFC
ASECTH
AFSA
AINR
AOPC
AFAF
AFARI
AX
ASECAF
ASECAFIN
AT
AFZAL
APCS
AGAO
AIT
ARCH
AEMRASECCASCKFLOMARRPRELPINRAMGTJMXL
AMEX
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
AORCD
AVIATION
ARAS
AINFCY
ACBAQ
AOPR
AREP
AOIC
ASEX
ASEK
AER
AGR
AMCT
AVERY
APR
AEMRS
AFU
AMG
ATPDEA
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AORL
ACS
AMCHAMS
AECL
AUC
ACAO
BA
BR
BB
BG
BEXP
BY
BRUSSELS
BU
BD
BTIO
BK
BL
BE
BMGT
BO
BM
BX
BN
BWC
BBSR
BTT
BC
BH
BILAT
BUSH
BHUM
BT
BTC
BMENA
BOND
BAIO
BP
BF
BRPA
BURNS
BUT
BBG
BCW
BOEHNER
BOL
BASHAR
BIDEN
BFIN
BZ
BEXPC
BTIU
CPAS
CA
CASC
CS
CBW
CIDA
CO
CODEL
CI
CROS
CU
CH
CWC
CMGT
CVIS
CDG
CTR
CG
CF
CHIEF
CJAN
CBSA
CE
CY
CB
CW
CM
CHR
CD
COE
CV
COUNTER
CT
CN
CPUOS
CTERR
CVR
CVPR
CDC
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CONS
COM
CACS
CR
CONTROLS
CAN
CACM
COMMERCE
CAMBODIA
CFIS
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITES
CONDOLEEZZA
CZ
CTBT
CEN
CLINTON
CFED
CARC
CTM
CARICOM
CSW
CICTE
CYPRUS
CBE
CMGMT
CARSON
CWCM
CIVS
COUNTRYCLEARANCE
CENTCOM
CAPC
COPUOS
CKGR
CITEL
CQ
CITT
CIC
CARIB
CVIC
CAFTA
CVISU
CDB
CEDAW
CNC
CJUS
COMMAND
CENTER
COL
CAJC
CONSULAR
CLMT
CBC
CIA
CNARC
CIS
CEUDA
CHINA
CAC
CL
DR
DJ
DEMOCRATIC
DEMARCHE
DOMESTIC
DISENGAGEMENT
DB
DA
DHS
DAO
DCM
DAVID
DO
DEAX
DEFENSE
DEA
DTRO
DPRK
DOC
DTRA
DK
DAC
DOD
DRL
DRC
DCG
DE
DOT
DEPT
DOE
DS
DKEM
ECON
ETTC
EFIS
ETRD
EC
EMIN
EAGR
EAID
EFIN
EUN
ECIN
EG
EWWT
EINV
ENRG
ELAB
EPET
EIND
EN
EAIR
EUMEM
ECPS
ES
EI
ELTN
ET
EZ
EU
ER
EINT
ENGR
ECONOMIC
ENIV
EFTA
ETRN
EMS
EUREM
EPA
ESTH
EEB
EET
ENV
EAG
EXIM
ECTRD
ELNT
ENVIRONMENT
ECA
EAP
EINDIR
ETR
ECONOMY
ETRC
ELECTIONS
EICN
EXPORT
EARG
EGHG
EID
ETRO
EINF
EAIDHO
ECIP
EENV
EURM
EPEC
ERNG
ENERG
EIAD
EXBS
ED
EREL
ELAM
EK
EWT
ENGRD
EDEV
ECE
ENGY
EXIMOPIC
ETRDEC
ECCT
EUR
ENRGPARMOTRASENVKGHGPGOVECONTSPLEAID
EFI
ECOSOC
EXTERNAL
ESCAP
ETCC
EENG
ERA
ENRD
ECLAC
ETRAD
EBRD
ENVR
ECONENRG
ELTNSNAR
ELAP
EPIT
EDUC
EAIDXMXAXBXFFR
EETC
EIVN
EDRC
EGOV
ETRA
EAIDRW
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ESA
ETRDGK
ENVI
ELN
EPRT
EPTED
ERTD
EUM
EAIDS
EFINECONEAIDUNGAGM
EDU
EV
EAIDAF
EDA
EPREL
EINVEFIN
EAGER
ETMIN
EUCOM
ECCP
EIDN
EINVKSCA
ENNP
EFINECONCS
ETC
EAIRASECCASCID
EINN
ETRP
ECONOMICS
ENERGY
EIAR
EINDETRD
ECONEFIN
EURN
ETRDEINVTINTCS
EFIM
ETIO
EATO
EIPR
EINVETC
ETTD
ETDR
EIQ
ECONCS
ENRGIZ
EAIG
ENTG
EUC
ERD
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EEPET
EUNCH
ESENV
ECINECONCS
ETRDECONWTOCS
ECUN
FR
FI
FOREIGN
FARM
FIR
FAO
FK
FARC
FAS
FJ
FREEDOM
FAC
FINANCE
FBI
FTAA
FM
FCS
FAA
FORCE
FDA
FTA
FT
FCSC
FMGT
FINR
FIN
FDIC
FOR
FOI
FO
FMLN
FISO
GM
GERARD
GT
GA
GG
GR
GTIP
GH
GZ
GE
GB
GY
GAZA
GJ
GEORGE
GOI
GCC
GMUS
GI
GLOBAL
GV
GC
GL
GOV
GKGIC
GF
GWI
GIPNC
GUTIERREZ
GTMO
GANGS
GAERC
GUILLERMO
GASPAR
HR
HA
HYMPSK
HO
HK
HUMAN
HU
HN
HHS
HURI
HUD
HUMRIT
HUMANITARIAN
HUMANR
HL
HSTC
HILLARY
HCOPIL
HADLEY
HOURANI
HI
HUM
HEBRON
HUMOR
IZ
IN
IAEA
IS
IMO
ILO
IR
IC
IT
ITU
ID
IV
IMF
IBRD
IWC
ICAO
ICRC
INF
IO
IPR
ISO
IK
ISRAELI
IQ
ICES
IDB
INFLUENZA
IRAQI
ISCON
IGAD
IRAN
ITALY
IRAQ
ICTY
ICTR
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
IQNV
IADB
INTERNAL
INMARSAT
IRDB
ILC
INCB
INRB
ICJ
ISRAEL
INR
IEA
ISPA
ICCAT
IOM
ITRD
IHO
IL
IFAD
ITRA
IDLI
ISCA
INL
INRA
INTELSAT
ISAF
ISPL
IRS
IEF
ITER
INDO
IIP
IND
IEFIN
IACI
IAHRC
INNP
IA
INTERPOL
IFIN
ISSUES
IZPREL
IRAJ
IF
ITPHUM
ITA
IP
IRPE
IDA
ISLAMISTS
ITF
INRO
IBET
IDP
IRC
KMDR
KPAO
KOMC
KNNP
KFLO
KDEM
KSUM
KIPR
KFLU
KE
KCRM
KJUS
KAWC
KZ
KSCA
KDRG
KCOR
KGHG
KPAL
KTIP
KMCA
KCRS
KPKO
KOLY
KRVC
KVPR
KG
KWBG
KTER
KS
KN
KSPR
KWMN
KV
KTFN
KFRD
KU
KSTC
KSTH
KISL
KGIC
KSEP
KFIN
KTEX
KTIA
KUNR
KCMR
KCIP
KMOC
KTDB
KBIO
KBCT
KMPI
KSAF
KACT
KFEM
KPRV
KPWR
KIRC
KCFE
KRIM
KHIV
KHLS
KVIR
KNNNP
KCEM
KLIG
KIRF
KNUP
KSAC
KNUC
KPGOV
KTDD
KIDE
KOMS
KLFU
KNNC
KMFO
KSEO
KJRE
KJUST
KMRS
KSRE
KGIT
KPIR
KPOA
KUWAIT
KIVP
KICC
KSCS
KPOL
KSEAO
KRCM
KSCI
KNAP
KGLB
KICA
KCUL
KPRM
KFSC
KQ
KPOP
KPFO
KPALAOIS
KREC
KBWG
KR
KTTB
KNAR
KCOM
KESS
KINR
KOCI
KWN
KCSY
KREL
KTBT
KFTN
KW
KRFD
KFLOA
KHDP
KNEP
KIND
KHUM
KSKN
KOMO
KDRL
KTFIN
KSOC
KPO
KGIV
KSTCPL
KSI
KPRP
KFPC
KNNB
KNDP
KICCPUR
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KDMR
KFCE
KIMMITT
KMCC
KMNP
KSEC
KOMCSG
KGCC
KRAD
KCRP
KAUST
KWAWC
KCHG
KRDP
KPAS
KTIAPARM
KPAOPREL
KWGB
KIRP
KMIG
KLAB
KSEI
KHSA
KNPP
KPAONZ
KWWW
KGHA
KY
KCRIM
KCRCM
KGCN
KPLS
KIIP
KPAOY
KTRD
KTAO
KJU
KBTS
KWAC
KFIU
KNNO
KPAI
KILS
KPA
KRCS
KWBGSY
KNPPIS
KNNPMNUC
KNPT
KERG
KLTN
KPREL
KTLA
KO
KAWK
KVRP
KAID
KX
KENV
KWCI
KNPR
KCFC
KNEI
KFTFN
KTFM
KCERS
KDEMAF
KMEPI
KEMS
KBTR
KEDU
KIRL
KNNR
KMPT
KPDD
KPIN
KDEV
KFRP
KTBD
KMSG
KWWMN
KWBC
KA
KOM
KWNM
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KRGY
KNNF
KICR
KIFR
KWMNCS
KPAK
KDDG
KCGC
KID
KNSD
KMPF
KWMM
MARR
MX
MASS
MOPS
MNUC
MCAP
MTCRE
MRCRE
MTRE
MASC
MY
MK
MG
MU
MILI
MO
MZ
MEPP
MCC
MEDIA
MOPPS
MI
MAS
MW
MP
MEPN
MV
MD
MR
MC
MCA
MT
MIL
MARITIME
MOPSGRPARM
MAAR
MOOPS
ML
MA
MN
MNUCPTEREZ
MTCR
MUNC
MPOS
MONUC
MGMT
MURRAY
MACP
MINUSTAH
MCCONNELL
MGT
MNUR
MF
MEPI
MOHAMMAD
MAR
MAPP
MNU
MFA
MTS
MLS
MEETINGS
MERCOSUR
MED
MNVC
MIK
MBM
MILITARY
MAPS
MARAD
MDC
MACEDONIA
MASSMNUC
MUCN
MQADHAFI
MPS
NZ
NATO
NI
NO
NU
NG
NL
NPT
NS
NA
NP
NASA
NSF
NEA
NANCY
NSG
NRR
NATIONAL
NMNUC
NC
NSC
NAS
NARC
NELSON
NATEU
NDP
NIH
NK
NIPP
NR
NERG
NSSP
NE
NTDB
NT
NEGROPONTE
NGO
NATOIRAQ
NAR
NZUS
NCCC
NH
NAFTA
NEW
NRG
NUIN
NOVO
NATOPREL
NV
NICHOLAS
NPA
NSFO
NW
NORAD
NPG
NOAA
OPRC
OPDC
OTRA
OECD
OVIP
OREP
ODC
OIIP
OAS
OSCE
OPIC
OMS
OFDP
OFDA
OEXC
OPCW
OIE
OSCI
OM
OPAD
ODPC
OIC
ODIP
OPPI
ORA
OCEA
OREG
OMIG
OFFICIALS
OSAC
OEXP
OPEC
OFPD
OAU
OCII
OIL
OVIPPRELUNGANU
OSHA
OPCD
OPCR
OF
OFDPQIS
OSIC
OHUM
OTR
OBSP
OGAC
OESC
OVP
ON
OES
OTAR
OCS
PREL
PGOV
PARM
PINR
PHUM
PM
PREF
PTER
PK
PINS
PBIO
PHSA
PE
PBTS
PA
PL
POL
PAK
POV
POLITICS
POLICY
PO
PRELTBIOBA
PKO
PIN
PNAT
PU
PGOVPREL
PALESTINIAN
PTERPGOV
PELOSI
PAS
PP
PTEL
PROP
PRELAF
PRHUM
PRE
PUNE
PIRF
PVOV
PROG
PERSONS
PROV
PKK
PRGOV
PH
PLAB
PDEM
PCI
PRL
PRM
PINSO
PERM
PETR
PPAO
PERL
PBS
PETERS
PRELBR
PCON
POLITICAL
PMIL
POLM
PKPA
PNUM
PLO
PTERM
PJUS
PARMP
PNIR
PHUMKPAL
PG
PREZ
PGIC
PAO
PROTECTION
PRELPK
PGOVENRG
PATTY
PSOC
PARTIES
PGOVEAIDUKNOSWGMHUCANLLHFRSPITNZ
PMIG
PAIGH
PARK
PETER
PHUS
PKPO
PGOVECON
POUS
PMAR
PWBG
PAR
PGOVGM
PHUH
PTE
PY
POLUN
PDOV
PGOVSOCI
PGOVPM
PRELEVU
PGOR
PBTSRU
PHUMA
PHUMR
PPD
PGV
PRAM
PARMS
PINL
PSI
PKPAL
PPA
PTERE
PGOF
PINO
PREO
PHAS
PAC
PRESL
PORG
PS
PGVO
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PINT
PRELP
PREFA
PNG
PTBS
PFOR
PGOVLO
PHUMBA
PREK
PHJM
POLINT
PGOVE
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PECON
PEACE
PROCESS
PLN
PEDRO
PF
PGPV
PCUL
PGGV
PSA
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PGIV
PHUMPREL
POGOV
PEL
PBT
PAMQ
PINF
PSEPC
POSTS
PAHO
PHUMPGOV
PGOC
PNR
RS
RP
RU
RW
RFE
RCMP
RIGHTSPOLMIL
REFORM
RO
ROW
ROBERT
REACTION
REPORT
REGION
RELATIONS
RAY
ROBERTG
RIGHTS
RM
RATIFICATION
RREL
RBI
RICE
ROOD
REL
RODHAM
RGY
RUEHZO
RELIGIOUS
RELFREE
RUEUN
RELAM
RSP
RF
REO
REGIONAL
RUPREL
RI
REMON
RPEL
RSO
SCUL
SENV
SOCI
SZ
SNAR
SO
SP
SU
SY
SI
SMIG
SYR
SA
SW
SF
SR
SYRIA
SNARM
START
SPECIALIST
SG
SNIG
SCI
SGWI
SE
SIPDIS
SANC
SELAB
SN
SETTLEMENTS
SCIENCE
SENVENV
SENS
SPCE
SPAS
SECURITY
SENC
SOCIETY
SOSI
SENVEAGREAIDTBIOECONSOCIXR
SEN
SPECI
ST
SL
SENVCASCEAIDID
SC
SECRETARY
STR
SNA
SOCIS
SADC
SEP
SK
SHUM
SYAI
SMIL
STEPHEN
SNRV
SKCA
SENSITIVE
SECI
SCUD
SCRM
SGNV
SECTOR
SAARC
SENVSXE
SWMN
STEINBERG
SOPN
SOCR
SCRS
SWE
SARS
SNARIZ
SUDAN
SENVQGR
SAN
SM
SFNV
SSA
SPCVIS
SOFA
SCULKPAOECONTU
SENVKGHG
SHI
SEVN
SH
SNARCS
SNARN
SIPRS
TBIO
TW
TRGY
TSPA
TU
TPHY
TI
TX
TH
TIP
TSPL
TNGD
TZ
TS
TC
TK
TURKEY
TERRORISM
TPSL
TINT
TRSY
TERFIN
TPP
TT
TECHNOLOGY
TE
TAGS
TRAFFICKING
TJ
TN
TO
TD
TP
TREATY
TR
TA
TIO
TECH
TF
TRAD
TNDG
TWI
TPSA
TWL
TAUSCHER
TRBY
TL
TV
THPY
TSPAM
TREL
TRT
TNAR
TFIN
TWCH
THOMMA
THOMAS
TERROR
TRY
TBID
UK
UNESCO
UNSC
UNGA
UN
US
UZ
USEU
UG
UP
UNAUS
UNMIK
USTR
UY
USUN
UNEP
UNDC
UV
UNPUOS
UNSCR
USAID
UNODC
UNRCR
UNHCR
UNDP
UNCRIME
UA
UNHRC
UNRWA
UNO
UNCND
UNCHR
USAU
UNICEF
USPS
UNOMIG
UNESCOSCULPRELPHUMKPALCUIRXFVEKV
UR
UNFICYP
UNCITRAL
UNAMA
UNVIE
USTDA
USNC
UNCSD
USCC
UNEF
UNGAPL
USSC
UNMIC
UNTAC
UNCLASSIFIED
USDA
UNCTAD
USGS
UNFPA
UNSE
USOAS
UE
UAE
UNCHS
UNDESCO
UNC
UNSCS
UKXG
UNGACG
UNHR
UNBRO
UNCHC
UNFCYP
UNIDROIT
WHTI
WIPO
WTRO
WHO
WTO
WMO
WFP
WEET
WS
WE
WA
WHA
WBG
WILLIAM
WI
WSIS
WCL
WEBZ
WZ
WW
WWBG
WMD
WWT
WMN
WWARD
WITH
WTRQ
WCO
WEU
WB
WBEG
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 09WARSAW225, POLAND: 2009 SPECIAL 301 REVIEW: POST
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #09WARSAW225.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
09WARSAW225 | 2009-03-02 15:01 | 2011-08-24 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Warsaw |
VZCZCXRO6892
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHWR #0225/01 0611501
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021501Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7898
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHKW/AMCONSUL KRAKOW 2245
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 WARSAW 000225
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE PASS TO USTR
USTR FOR DWEINER AND JCHOE GROVES
STATE FOR EUR/NCE AND EEB/TPP/IBE TMCGOWAN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD ECON KIPR PL
SUBJECT: POLAND: 2009 SPECIAL 301 REVIEW: POST
RECOMMENDATION
REF: A. WARSAW 46
¶B. 06 WARSAW 280
¶C. 07 WARSAW 407
¶D. 08 WARSAW 237
WARSAW 00000225 001.2 OF 008
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Post recommends that Poland be removed
from the Special 301 Watch List. In 2008, Poland
consolidated and extended the major advances it made during
2007 in protecting intellectual property rights (IPR).
Improved enforcement was highlighted in February, when Polish
police raided what appears to be the largest copyright
infringing disc operation ever shut down in Europe. Contacts
in the movie, film, software, apparel and cigarette
industries all lauded police cooperation. While the courts
remain congested, closure of a major loophole in 2007 led to
improved prosecution in 2008. Counterfeit goods continue to
be offered at bazaars on the German border, but those markets
are shrinking. Since the Warsaw Stadium closed, markets in
Warsaw are largely free of counterfeit products. Polish
government authorities noticeably increased their
understanding of how internet pirates operate, and
effectively employed tactics to counter them, including
shutting down three "top sites." Use of peer-to-peer
networks dropped, and use of legitimate online music services
increased. Despite increased revenues from sales of
innovative drugs added to Poland's reimbursement list, the
innovative pharmaceuticals sector's market access
frustrations deepened. However, post has seen no new
evidence of specific IPR violations related to data
exclusivity with American firms in several years. While work
remains to be done, we believe Poland has made substantial
progress in protecting intellectual property rights. The
overall impression is of a climate of increasing respect for
IPR, reflecting a broad and deep commitment by the Polish
government. End summary.
-----------
Enforcement
-----------
¶2. (SBU) Rights holders reported excellent cooperation with
the police during 2008:
-- The local representative of a major American clothing
label stated there has been a significant decline in
counterfeit cases, in part because of "excellent
enforcement," including markedly improved border controls.
-- The music industry association, ZPAV, said cooperation
with the police was first-rate, citing many well-coordinated
raids in 2008. The police opened 317 investigations related
to counterfeit music (and an additional 27 were begun by
customs officials and four by border guards).
-- The film industry association, FOTA, worked with the
police on over 875 investigations, resulting in 863 police
raids and 856 criminal cases. As a result of these raids,
89,367 DVDs and 154,532 DVD-Rs and CD-Rs with illegal content
were seized. Three-quarters of these cases resulted in
prosecutions.
-- According to the Business Software Alliance (BSA) the
Polish police were active in investigating software piracy
and conducted at least 70 raids. BSA also noted a number of
"ex officio" prosecutions, as well as prosecutions initiated
at BSA request. BSA finds cooperation with the police so
effective and efficient that it has not brought any civil law
suits for several years.
-- The Special 301 submission of the International
Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) states that
entertainment software publisher relationships with law
enforcement authorities remain positive, and notes that in
2008 police quickly took action against a high-volume seller
when his activities were brought to their attention.
According to an official from the Polish Border Guards,
following Poland's entry into the Schengen Zone, Border
Guards now work throughout the country, using mobile patrols
to detect counterfeit goods, which flow into Poland from
Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania. The Border Guards are
particularly focused on counterfeit alcohol and cigarettes,
which present health risks as well as reduce excise tax
collections.
WARSAW 00000225 002.4 OF 008
¶3. (U) An inter-agency committee, chaired by the Ministry
of Culture, continued to meet and work to implement the
Polish government's strategy for protecting IPR. Much of the
Committee's work focused on improving information sharing and
coordination. The Ministry of Culture and the Patent Office
jointly set up a database of registered labels and trademarks
in 2008. Access to the database should be extended to the
police, Border Guards and prosecutors' offices in 2009.
Customs officials also introduced an information exchange
program called "Vinci," which is compatible with the World
Customs Organization's standards. Under the program, rights
holders can submit information (and photographs) to the Vinci
database. Customs officials can then use the information to
quickly and efficiently distinguish genuine merchandise from
counterfeits.
¶4. (SBU) Officials throughout the Polish government
continued to build capacity to protect IPR. In 2008-2009,
four officials from the Ministry of Culture and one from the
National Health Fund participated in training offered by the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In fact, USPTO has
now trained three-quarters of the personnel in the IPR office
at the Ministry of Culture. The Patent Office organized a
major conference around World Intellectual Property Day. An
association of local rights holders organized 15 seminars in
which the Polish Customs Service, police and Border Guards
participated. A manual on handling evidence in IPR cases has
been distributed throughout the country, and the main Polish
Police Academy has a functioning e-learning platform with
training materials on IPR. The Poles are also adapting their
enforcement methodologies, as new channels for distributing
pirated goods are discovered. For example, after it was
discovered that relatively small quantities of pirate discs
were being distributed by mail, all post office customs units
were instructed to open suspicious packages containing discs.
¶5. (SBU) Contacts report that prosecution of IPR violations
has improved since 2007, when Poland legislatively overturned
a Supreme Court decision that had made it difficult to
prosecute downstream sellers of pirated goods. The IIPA's
Special 301 submission notes that only 10 percent of cases
initiated by the police were dropped by prosecutors, a
decline from 2007. Polish courts remain congested for all
types of cases, including those involving IPR. Dockets are
most congested in Warsaw, where it may take three to five
years to reach a final judgment. One effect of this is that
the number cases settled by plea bargain has increased to
50%-60%. Rights holders state that in most cases a fine or
suspended sentence is imposed. (Note: Such sentences appear
to be in the mainstream of prevailing judicial practice in
Europe, although rights holders complain that they believe
these sentences are insufficiently "deterrent." End note.)
¶6. (SBU) Following closure of the market at the Warsaw
Stadium, a decline in physical goods piracy in Poland has
made it easier for rights holders to cope with the
overburdened court system; one major apparel company stated
it used to have 200 open cases, but now only has 20-60.
While rights holders state they would still like to see
specialized IPR courts created, the need for such courts has
lessened. Plans to create specialized IPR courts have been
scaled back. A bill is pending in the Polish parliament that
would designate one division of the district court in Warsaw
to review schedules of payments made by "collecting rights
societies." At least initially, the court would have no
criminal jurisdiction. According to officials at the
Ministry of Culture, this could be the first step toward
developing specialized courts with jurisdiction over other
IPR issues as well. Other reforms rights holders favor
include abolishing the need for testimony of an independent
expert to establish that the goods in question are
counterfeit, and re-allocating prosecutors now assigned to
organized crime cases to form a specialized cadre of IPR
prosecutors.
--------------------------------------------- -----
Production, Import and Export of Counterfeit Goods
--------------------------------------------- -----
¶7. (SBU) The executive director of Promarka, an association
of about 35 brand owners in the food, cosmetics and chemicals
industries (including such American firms as Proctor & Gamble
and Coca-Cola), described piracy issues in Poland as "minimal
WARSAW 00000225 003.2 OF 008
at the moment," and certainly less urgent than three to five
years ago. Consequently, his association has shifted its
focus from strengthening Polish legislation relating to
enforcement to developing standards of conduct for online
advertising and supporting social awareness campaigns in the
media. A top concern for Promarka members is a shift of
consumers from counterfeit products to "private label"
products. Such goods are often of lower quality, and sell
for a lower price, but are legally produced and marketed.
¶8. (SBU) In 2008, the Polish Customs Service seized over
four million illicit goods. Of these, 93% violated
trademarks, 5% violated copyright, and 1.6% violated a
patent. Cigarettes accounted for 24% of seizures; chemical
compounds for 24%; electronics, 16%; clothing, 6%; toys,
games and sports gear, 4%; CDs and DVDs, 3%; pharmaceuticals,
3%; foodstuffs, 2%; computer equipment, 1%; and watches and
jewelry, 1%.
¶9. (SBU) ZPAV states that about 20 percent of musical
physical goods (i.e., CDs) in the Polish market are pirated,
roughly the same as last year. In contrast to global trends,
sales of CDs actually increased in 2007, thanks in part to
"Polish pricing," which makes CDs available at 40% or 50%
less than in other markets. In markets on the German border,
one sees less and less music being sold, although the number
of files per disc is increasing. "Burned," locally produced
CDs, are increasingly displacing "pressed" CDs from Russia or
Ukraine. FOTA states that they have seen a decrease in the
number of seized discs containing pirated movies, but a
pirated disc often contains four, six or even eight films.
They estimate as much as 85% of the films sold in bazaars are
pirated.
¶10. (SBU) A shift in the computer market may lead to a
decline in pirated software. According to the General
Manager of Dell Computer's factory in Poland, about 40% of
Polish computers used to be assembled from components by
"guys with screwdrivers," who would offer the machine with a
pirated operating system and other software. However, laptop
computers are becoming more popular. These are more
difficult to assemble, and thus are more likely to be
purchased from a producer offering legal software. The
Business Software Alliance's focus remains on companies that
are illegally running copies of software (often initially
legally purchased and then illegally replicated) on several
computers.
-----------------
Notorious Markets
-----------------
¶11. (SBU) The Warsaw Stadium, Poland's most notorious
market, closed in 2007. Although concern was expressed at
the time that the illegal trade could simply migrate
elsewhere in Warsaw, that did not happen. FOTA told EconOff
that in Warsaw, markets are almost free of pirated products,
thanks to aggressive policing. The IIPA's Special 301
submission noted that the Warsaw Wolumen market became almost
completely free of counterfeited and pirated products after
raids against the main supplier of such products in June
¶2007. Brand holders have been unable to determine where the
large numbers of Asian, African, Russian and Ukrainian
traders who formerly worked the Stadium went, but many or
even most seem to have given up and moved on. Increased
vigilance at the EU border (an important factor, since most
pirated goods were imported), coupled with disruption of the
market in Warsaw, may have pushed the traders past the
tipping point in assessing the risk of having goods seized
vs. the potential rewards.
¶12. (SBU) Open-air bazaars along the border with Germany
continue to sell pirated goods, but in diminished quantities.
In its Special 301 comments submitted to USTR, Phillip
Morris (PMI) stated Poland has "...made significant progress
in conducting regular ex officio reviews of such markets and
in responding to specific complaints by PMI resulting in
enforcement actions at such markets. This has led to a
reduction, although not eradication, of counterfeit PMI
cigarettes in these border markets." Similarly, the IIPA
noted that there were several raids at border markets in
2008; that the music industry reported much lower quantities
of pirated music; and that the film industry noticed a
decrease in the supply of pirated audiovisual discs after
WARSAW 00000225 004.2 OF 008
raids of three labs in 2008 led to seizure of over 70,000
pirated discs and 159 DVD burners. Contacts estimated that
the markets have shrunk by 25%-30% in the last year, largely
in response to Poland's entry into the Schengen Zone.
Exchange rate differences between the zloty and the Euro
continue to draw Germans to the border to buy gasoline.
Following established patterns, they often buy cigarettes and
shop for other goods while there. In addition, contacts
speculate, while Poland's entry into the Schengen Zone means
pirates could move their products closer to their German
customers, the pirates continue to stop at the border because
they fear German police more than Polish police.
¶13. (SBU) On February 21-22, EconOff inspected three
markets identified by ZPAV: Zgorzelec, Sienawka, and
Kostrzyn. At Zgorzelec and Sienawka, the market stalls were
stocked with cheap but legal goods. No pirated goods were
observed in Zgorzelec. Officials in the Sienawka local
government stated that recently the market there has declined
markedly. About half the stalls were empty during EconOff's
visit. There was a healthy trade in cigarettes, some of
which may have been counterfeit, but beyond that the only
pirated good observed was a single "Moschino" shirt in the
last stall at the back of the market. Border guards
maintained a visible presence, both near the markets and on
the roads approaching them.
¶14. (SBU) The situation in Kostrzyn was different. The
Kostrzyn market covered an area about twice the size of
Washington's Eastern Market, and perhaps 30% of the stalls
openly displayed obviously pirated goods, including Lacoste
shirts, Puma and Adidas shoes, Dolce & Gabanna and Chanel
handbags, caps with the New York Yankees logo, perfume and
sunglasses. EconOff counted only six stalls selling media
carriers (three offering films (with German subtitles), two
offering music, and one offering Nintendo games). EconOff
did not notice any police or border guard presence. Kostrzyn
sits on a road running straight into Berlin, and the majority
of cars in the parking lot had German license plates.
¶15. (SBU) While Kostrzyn is clearly a pirate market, it is
important to distinguish among countries in the region. A
representative of an apparel company with responsibility for
both Poland and the Czech Republic stated that the problem
with border markets in the Czech Republic is three times
worse than in Poland. Post has seen no evidence of new
markets on Poland's eastern border springing up following
Poland's entry into the Schengen Zone.
-------------
Optical Media
-------------
¶16. (SBU) In early February 2009, Polish police dismantled
the "Masterbox" organized crime operation. This operation
distributed about nine million albums throughout Europe.
Losses to the music industry alone were about EUR 19 million.
The losses to the film industry may have been two or three
times higher still. This is believed to be the largest
copyright infringing disc operation ever shut down by police
action in Europe. In a press release after the raids, IFPI,
an organization representing the worldwide interests of the
recording industry, commented that, "The decisive action
taken by Polish police shows the country is no safe haven for
such criminal enterprises."
¶17. (SBU) Disturbingly, it appears the Masterbox gang was
using two legal and registered optical disc production
facilities. Prior to the raids, contacts had indicated that
while the current optical disc decree could be strengthened,
it was adequate, and that pressed pirate discs with
pre-release or newly released content had not been discovered
in Poland for some months. The optical disc decree
establishes controls on, and requires licensing of, optical
media manufacturing capacity and equipment. It mandates the
use of source identification (SID) codes on locally
manufactured CDs. Producers should report material inputs
and exports of optical media. In fact, contacts describe the
reporting requirements under the decree as so detailed as to
make it difficult for industry to comply, and for the
Ministry of Culture to review industry submissions.
---------------
Internet Piracy
WARSAW 00000225 005.2 OF 008
---------------
¶18. (SBU) Over the past year, Polish government authorities
have noticeably increased their understanding of how internet
pirates operate, and the tactics that can be used to counter
them. The number of internet users has grown to about 16
million people, or about 41% of the population. IIPA
monitored downloads of 13 game titles in December 2008.
Polish BitTorrent eDonkey users were estimated to have
downloaded more than 393,000 infringing copies, making Poland
one of the top five infringing countries surveyed. According
to ZPAV, 45% of internet users download music from the
internet. However, compared to 2006, the number of
peer-to-peers users significantly dropped, from 74% in 2006
to 41% in 2008. In constrast, the number of internet users
downloading music from legitimate online music services is on
the rise. Compared to 2006, this figure almost doubled, from
15% to 28%.
¶19. (SBU) Officials representing E-Bay in Poland, as well
as ZPAV and FOTA, identified lack of access to credit cards
among Polish youth as a key factor limiting legitimate online
commerce. Internet shoppers can sometimes use the PayPal
payment system, but otherwise there are no workarounds for
the lack of credit cards. Even if consumers have credit
cards, they may not be able to buy legally the products they
want. For example, the Itunes online music store will not
accept credit cards issued in Poland. FOTA notes internet
delivery of view-on-demand video generally is not available
in Poland, one reason movie theaters recorded record ticket
sales last year. (One local satellite television company
recently began offering view-on-demand services, but the
selection of titles is very limited.)
¶20. (SBU) The police are increasingly active in internet
piracy cases. FOTA stated 40% of the police investigations
of pirated films were dedicated to internet piracy, and
almost half of 863 police raids and 856 criminal cases
involved internet piracy. ZPAV states that, at its request,
the police initiated 703 cases against file sharers in
peer-to-peer networks. In 2008, the Polish police took down
three "top sites" located on university servers in Poland.
¶21. (SBU) Police knowledge of how to handle these cases has
risen. Since October 1, 2007, the Police Academy issued a
manual for police officers and prosecutors on the operation
of peer-to-peer protocols, uncovering copyright infringement
on the internet, and collecting evidence in such cases. A
protocol for handling internet cases is available on the
servers of the Police Academy. However, expertise and
resources for handling internet cases are not evenly
distributed among all police units around the country.
¶22. (SBU) ZPAV reported that most Polish Internet Service
Providers (ISPs) do not proactively monitor their systems for
pirated content. However, most ISPs did react promptly to
requests from ZPAV to remove infringing music from their
servers. Some were unwilling to block peer-to-peer service
hubs simply at ZPAV's request, but generally will cooperate
with the Polish police. Nevertheless, a study by ZPAV of
cases initiated between October 2006 and November 2008 found
that 30% of the cases were dismissed because it was not
possible to identify from ISP records the individual user
responsible for distributing illegal content. The Ministry
of Culture was unaware of any cases where an ISP was held
liable for copyright, trademark or patent infringement, but
stated ISPs are required to provide information in such
cases. Poland does not have a "notice and takedown" law.
¶23. (SBU) DC is the most commonly used peer-to-peer
service, and is most frequently found on academic networks
(because universities tend to have the best computer
equipment and the largest concentration of users hungry for
"free" music and films). In 2008, industry groups sent over
200 letters to Polish universities, and are working with the
universities to adopt internal rules that would prohibit
users of academic networks from using the networks to
distribute pirated files.
--------------------
Government Software
-------------------
¶24. (SBU) Poland's Law on Copyrights and Related Rights
WARSAW 00000225 006.2 OF 008
requires all government institutions to use licensed computer
programs. Post has received no reports of illegal software
being used by the Polish government, and no rights holders
have identified this as an issue in Poland.
--------
Treaties
--------
¶25. (U) Poland has ratified both the 1996 WIPO Copyright
Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty.
Poland takes an active role in WIPO, and in 2008 the
president of the Patent Office was a candidate to become WIPO
Director General. The Patent Office has also been active in
ensuring that key international texts relating to IPR are
available in Polish. For example, in 2008 the Patent Office
published the first Polish language legal commentary on the
landmark Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial
Property.
---------------
Pharmaceuticals
---------------
¶26. (SBU) In January 2009, the Polish Ministry of Health
added 10 innovative drugs without generic competitors to its
list of drugs eligible for reimbursement from the National
Health Service. (ref A) This is in addition to the 33 new
active substances added to the reimbursement list in 2007.
Thanks to those 2007 additions, throughout 2008 most U.S.
innovative pharmaceuticals companies operating in Poland told
EconOff they were meeting or exceeding their earnings
targets. Companies were also adding employees, at least
until the global financial downturn began to hit the real
Polish economy.
¶27. (SBU) Despite apparent growth in sales and revenues in
the innovative pharmaceuticals sector in 2008, in several
ways the industry's frustrations with market access deepened,
as regulatory processes became even less transparent:
-- It remains unclear what criteria the Health Ministry uses
to determine which drugs, or categories of drugs, to add to
the reimbursement list.
-- The Ministry continued to fail to meet deadlines in Polish
law for deciding whether to add a given drug to the
reimbursement list. (However, whether there is a backlog of
applications is not a straightforward matter. Ministry
officials assert that in many cases companies have failed to
update or re-file an application in accordance with
procedures adopted subsequent to the original filing, or have
failed to respond to requests for supplemental data. In some
cases, the Ministry either decided a drug is not sufficiently
cost effective to justify adding it to the list, or rejected
the price proposed by a producer, but the producer refuses to
accept this as final action by the Ministry.)
-- The Ministry of Health met once in 2008 with the American
Chamber of Commerce's Committee on Pharmaceuticals. Despite
promises given by senior Polish officials to USG officials to
continue a dialogue with American companies, the Ministry has
not responded to repeated requests to set up another meeting.
-- In an effort to prevent corruption, the Ministry
introduced strict new rules for meetings of Ministry
officials with individual companies. It now takes about six
months to arrange a 30-minute meeting with regulators.
-- The Ministry began requiring a positive assessment from
the Health Technology Assessment Agency (AOTM). Similar
assessments are required in many other European health care
regulatory systems. However, the Ministry initially refused
to permit AOTM to meet with company officials.
Pharmaceuticals companies complain that AOTM's methodologies
are either unclear or inappropriate, but AOTM officials told
EconOff that their methodologies are publicly available and
conform to general European practices. Companies complain
that the AOTM process takes too long, but one should also
note that companies would prefer to have an application
delayed within AOTM rather than receive an expeditious
negative recommendation on the cost effectiveness of their
product.
WARSAW 00000225 007.2 OF 008
-- At the end of 2008, the Ministry adopted a regulation
prohibiting sales calls on doctors and hospitals during
working hours. Companies assert this substantially disrupted
their business plans.
-- The Ministry is drafting an amendment to the
Pharmaceuticals Law that would require companies to sell
their drugs at fixed prices, eliminating their ability to
give rebates to particular pharmacies. Innovative companies
assert that this would limit their ability to compete and
would raise prices for patients. A Deputy Minister of Health
told EmbOffs that the Ministry is still discussing internally
whether to include such a provision in whatever bill is
eventually introduced.
¶28. (SBU) These genuine market access frustrations should
be distinguished from failure to protect intellectual
property. Three years ago post's input for the 2005 Special
301 report stated, "The Polish government has been less than
aggressive in protecting intellectual property rights (read
data exclusivity) in the past; however, now we are dealing
with the legacy of the ghost of the data exclusivity past,
with no strong evidence of new violation of TRIPS obligations
being brought forth. It is understandable that the
innovative drug industry is frustrated with its lack of
market access, but we believe the best way to assist the
industry is to focus on tangible issues that we can attack
now, rather than go through the repetitive and less effective
process of reminding the Poles of their international
obligations." (ref B) That statement is even more applicable
today.
¶29. (SBU) Polish legislation still provides six years of
data protection for products registered in Poland. However,
Poland does extend the European "8-2-1" term of protection to
all products registered at the EU level. As a practical
matter, all new products are in fact registered at the EU
level (especially if the company producing the product is a
major innovative pharmaceuticals company with international
operations). Consequently, the lesser degree of protection
for Polish-registered products is of little or no commercial
significance.
¶30. (SBU) As stated in post's Special 301 submissions for
both 2006 and 2007 (refs C and D), and as we reaffirm now for
2008, we have seen no new evidence of specific IPR violations
related to data exclusivity with American firms, and no U.S.
pharmaceutical firm has reported to us a new case of patent
infringement. Moreover, PHRMA's Special 301 submission fails
to identify a single instance of a specific drug's patent
being infringed.
¶31. (SBU) The 2008 Special 301 Report cited as a reason for
keeping Poland on the Watch List "Poland's lack of
coordination between its health and patent authorities to
prevent the issuance of marketing approvals for unauthorized
copies of patented pharmaceutical products, as well as
reported lack of adequate enforcement remedies when generic
pharmaceutical products are launched during the term of an
innovator's patent." However, post knows of no reason to
believe that in fact any such products received marketing
approval or were launched in 2006, 2007 or in 2008, and has
no reason to believe that is likely to occur in 2009.
-------
Comment
-------
¶32. (SBU) Poland has come a long way in protecting IPR. In
2007, Poland improved its IPR legislation, closed the most
notorious market for counterfeits in eastern Europe, and
improved control of its eastern border. In 2008, the Poles
improved information sharing among enforcement agencies.
Rights holders across the board praised cooperation with the
police, who notably conducted a substantial number of
investigations regarding internet piracy during the last
year. The Poles also continue to build capacity, taking
advantage of training offered by the U.S. government. We
still have concerns about activity at markets on Poland's
border with Germany, although these appear to be shrinking.
In terms of legislation and education, we believe Poland
provides fairly strong protections. Poland is not free from
pirated goods, but the government recognizes the remaining
problems, is addressing them, and generally making progress.
WARSAW 00000225 008.2 OF 008
The IPR situation in Poland today is substantially changed
from the situation several years ago. The Polish
government's efforts to protect IPR should be recognized.
Consequently, we recommend that Poland be removed from the
Special 301 Watch List.
ASHE