Brussels - World governments must give their citizens better education, more equality between sexes and more access to condoms if the spread of AIDS is to be halted, the European Union said Monday.

"There is an urgent need to accelerate the development and deployment of global prevention measures, including by greater access to masculine and feminine condoms," the 27-member bloc said in a statement to mark World AIDS day.

Governments should also put more effort into educating their populations, both revealing the danger of AIDS and countering the stigma which accompany it, the statement said.

At the same time, "there is a basic need to reinforce treatment programmes and boost access to affordable, quality medicines... promote gender equality and sex education, and to launch campaigns to answer to the specific rights and needs of women," the statement said.

In particular, the EU is "deeply concerned" by discrimination against AIDS sufferers around the world, and "calls for the full respect of their fundamental rights," the statement said.

"Restrictions on entry (to countries) and residence for HIV- positive people ... are discriminatory and do not protect public health," the statement insisted.

In order to deal with the various problems faced by AIDS sufferers around the world, the EU is "firmly committed to boosting the effectiveness of its aid," the statement said. (dpa)