By Francesco Guarascio

BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – The European Union wants a global agreement to prevent new pandemics. This could include a ban of wildlife markets and incentive for countries reporting new viruses or variants.

According to an official who was not authorized to speak to media, international negotiators will be meeting for the first-time Wednesday in preparation for talks on a potential agreement.

It is hoped that a preliminary agreement can be reached by August.

However, Brussels so far has not been able to secure the full support of the United States and major other countries for a new Treaty.

Charles Michel, president of European Council in November 2020, proposed a new pandemic treaty. A spokesperson said that Michel had not made any comment.

The White House didn’t immediately reply to our request for comment.

Most people accept that the COVID-19 Pandemic started with the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus to humans. This theory was widely supported.

While Beijing received praise from the World Health Organization for rapidly notifying them of the new virus in its early stages, the United States has accused China of withholding information on the possible origins.

According to an EU official, one of the measures that the EU would like included in the agreement is the gradual closing down of the wildlife markets.

It is also important to provide incentives to countries for reporting new viruses to speed up their detection and to avoid any cover-ups.

After identifying the Omicron coronavirus variant in Omicron coronavirus, countries from southern Africa were subject to severe flight restrictions last year. This was because some worry that it could discourage reporting future outbreaks of Omicron coronavirus if there aren’t enough incentives.

VACCINES – VIRUS ALERTS

Officials could be given incentives to ensure access to new vaccines and medicine against viruses. These were the kinds of things that poorer nations struggled to acquire quickly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, when wealthy states scrambled for supplies.

State that report the discovery of a virus can also be supported immediately. This could include shipments from an international stockpile.

Officials said that six nations will participate in the talks, which are expected to include representatives from the major regions of the globe – Japan (the Netherlands), Brazil, South Africa and Egypt (the Netherlands), officials added.

Brazil, who will represent the northern and southern American nations, supports a non-binding agreement.

A document from the EU that was seen by Reuters shows that it wants legally binding obligations to prevent or report new outbreaks of virus.

Should an agreement be reached, it is likely that the treaty would be signed in May 2024.

Countries are currently negotiating changes to the International Health Regulations as part of a global overhaul of health regulations. These rules prevent spread of infectious disease.

Two sources informed Reuters that the United States is seeking to improve transparency in order to allow the WHO quicker access to areas where outbreaks are occurring.