Commissioner-designate for health and animal welfare fails to secure Renew Europe support

Mr. Várhelyi, Commissioner-designate for Health and Animal welfare failed to obtain confidence from the Renew Europe MEPs attending this evening’s confirmation hearing. In the absence of concrete measures and ambitious targets to improve public health care across the EU, the Commissioner- designate did not deliver in meeting the Renew Group’s expectations on health care.

As Renew Europe has consistently been a driving force to strengthen a true European Health Union, it is our aim to strengthen the European health competences, in order to respond more effectively to the current and future medical crisis across the EU.

The first building blocks to counter EU health crises have been laid, but still much remains to be done to ensure that the EU is prepared to tackle the rising number of health threats, which is why Renew Europe calls on the new Commission to step up public health efforts. To ensure that best medical care, Renew Europe therefore is pinning its hopes that decisive progress will be made in tackling antimicrobial resistance, step up vaccination coverage and improving access to healthcare, including sexual and reproductive healthcare, medicine and medical devices throughout the EU. In order to enable access to healthcare in another member state, especially in the area of rare diseases, the liberal group asks for a swift revision of the cross- border health directive as well as the clinical trials regulation.

While expecting a bunch of concrete proposals to address medical challenges across Europe in particular the ones mentioned above or clear commitment to come up with legislative proposals for a strengthened animal welfare legislation, we note that the answers given by Mr. Várhelyi did not meet Renew Europe’s expectations and so we conclude that we cannot support his nomination at this stage.

MEP Pascal Canfin (Renaissance, France), Renew Europe ENVI coordinator said after the hearing:

"How can we support a health Commissioner who is not capable of criticizing one member state - his own - who picked the Russian and Chinese covid vaccine over European approved ones, who is not capable to explain how he will help women in the EU safe access to their sexual and reproductive care and rights, and who affirms that he sides with women because he has four of them at home."

MEP Elsi Katainen (Suomen Keskusta, Finland), Renew Europe AGRI coordinator says:

"Animal welfare legislation improvement is key for Renew Europe. Unfortunately, the commissioner-designate did not mention any timeline for future proposals. He referred only to a consultation with stakeholders, without any promise of a concrete follow-up. He promised better enforcement of current rules, but said nothing concrete on how he wants to do this. On food safety, chemical plant protection products and their alternatives, animal diseases, he recognised the problems but did not indicate any initiative he is willing to take. It is good to be open to talk, but if you do not have any ideas yourself - what will the conversation actually be about?"