The Covid-19 pandemic will once again be the focus of an informal video conference of EU Health Ministers, on Tuesday 16 March. Other topics on the agenda are the Beating Cancer Plan, the proposals for a European Health Union and the health technology assessment regulation, which will just be the subject of a briefing of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU.
During this new exchange on the Covid-19 pandemic, the ministers will discuss, in particular, non-pharmaceutical measures to prevent and control the transmission of the virus and the possible lifting of restrictive measures. They will also discuss vaccination campaigns and the equitable distribution of vaccines. The burning issue of the vaccination certificate will not be on the agenda, as this is the responsibility of another EU Council formation.
During the rest of the day, the EU27 will be briefed by the Presidency on the state of play of the health technology assessment (HTA) (see EUROPE 12661/5). Despite the Portuguese Presidency’s efforts, it seems that more discussions are needed to reach an agreement on this text. “The HTA proposal is a very complex and sensitive issue, as these assessments are a means to evaluate whether a health technology should be reimbursed by national health systems. The Presidency is trying to find a compromise proposal that is acceptable to all Member States”, says a European diplomatic source.
At their meeting, the ministers will also discuss, for the first time. the Beating Cancer Plan, presented by the European Commission on 4 February (see EUROPE 12650/1). They will also take stock of the European Health Union package, i.e. the draft regulation on cross-border health threats, the strengthening of the mandate of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the extension of the mandate of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) (see EUROPE 12600/24). (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)