European Health Emergency Plan: Deal ensures better preparedness on cross-border health threats
Author: Miguel Antony M Chevalier
Date:
The Renew Europe Group welcomes today’s interinstitutional agreement on the regulation on serious cross-border health threats, for which MEP Véronique Trillet-Lenoir is the European Parliament rapporteur.
With today’s agreement on the political component of the legislative package an important milestone is being set towards a genuine European Health Union. Thanks to this now strengthened regulation, Europe will be able to react swiftly and appropriately to cross – border health threats, whether infectious, environmental, food – borne, biological or chemical.
The final agreement reached today with the Council and the Commission places prevention at the heart of the fight against health threats, evaluating the resources and capacities of the Member States in a proper way to react quickly to health crises and to ensure the continuity of care and prevent the impact of a health threat on other diseases or conditions, including non-communicable diseases and mental health.
Likewise, the text of the agreement also clarifies procedures for joint procurement of medicines and medical devices by increasing transparency, by underpinning the rules on the content of agreements and introducing the possibility of an exclusivity clause in contracts, thus limiting the establishment of parallel bilateral negotiations on a jointly purchased product at European level.
MEP Véronique Trillet-Lenoir (Liste Renaissance, France), Renew Europe’s rapporteur on this file says:
“I am proud of what we have achieved with this agreement. It is important for people to know that the EU is now better prepared to deal with cross-border health crises. This legislation clearly meets the demand of 74% of European citizens who want greater European competence in crisis management. The European Health Union is being built step by step. We will continue our project in the framework of the reflection on a future convention on the revision of the European treaties.”
