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BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 25: A group of people in Germany’s capital Berlin protested Chancellor Angela Merkel’s changed attitude on intellectual property on vaccines as the EU heads of states and governments convened to discuss international ties and the state of the COVID-19 pandemic during the two-day in-person meeting in Brussels.Gathering in front of the chancellery building, members of Campact, an NGO, demanded removing intellectual property rights of vaccines for production in other countries to curb the virus.Campact said on its web site that "It cannot only be about property rights of private investors, since essential basic research has been done in state universities and over 3 billion euros in government funding in Germany and the USA flowed into private companies for the development of vaccines - that is over 90% of the total costs. Therefore, the knowledge gained must be used in such a way that it guarantees the long-term protection of everyone."Seaking to Anadolu Agency spokesperson of Campact, Maria Kruskop, said coronavirus can be stopped by producing vaccines worldwide."And this is possible when intellectual property rights removed. Angela Merkel. Angela Merkel has significantly prevented this in the European Union. Today there is also a meeting with EU leaders. Today they must lift this obstacle," added Kruskop.Merkel stood against removing intellectual property rights of vaccines on earlier May. Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 3.46 million lives in 192 countries and regions, with more than 167.22 million cases reported worldwide, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University. (Footage by Erbil Basay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)