The European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment and Public Health (ENVI) adopted on Tuesday 13 July the draft report by Véronique Trillet-Lenoir (Renew Europe, France) on the proposal for a regulation on strengthening EU preparedness for transboundary health threats (see EUROPE 12600/24).
MEPs support the multi-sectoral ‘One Health’ approach, recognising that human health is linked to animal health and the environment. And at the international level, an international treaty would improve preparedness and coordinated response to future pandemics at the international level.
“Beyond infectious diseases, the EU today is not immune to environmental, food, biological, chemical or other threats”, Trillet-Lenoir said, welcoming the committee’s unanimous support in a statement.
According to MEPs, all health agencies at EU and national level should be involved in the risk assessment of cross-border health threats. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) plays a leading role in this area and should monitor “the impact of communicable diseases on non-communicable diseases or on people at risk, such as cancer patients”, said the rapporteur.
ECDC would also strengthen its communication to the public to better combat disinformation on health issues, or ‘infodemia’.
Drawing on the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic, MEPs believe that European and national preparedness plans must accurately assess the production capacity of medical equipment and the risks of shortages. Above all, they endorse the joint procurement procedures that have, among other things, enabled the EU to obtain sufficient doses of Covid-19 vaccine at a reasonable cost.
“I fully support the generalisation of joint procurement of medical products. The EU is stronger when it negotiates with one voice (...) with industry. This collective bargaining ensures fair access, at the same time, to all European citizens”, said Ms Trillet-Lenoir, for whom joint procurement should also be considered outside health threats.
Finally, the committee also wants to strengthen Parliament’s role by giving it an observer seat on the Health Security Committee.
The ‘Trillet-Lenoir’ report is expected to be voted on at the September plenary session. In the EU Council, discussions are continuing on the basis of draft compromises submitted by the previous Portuguese Presidency (see EUROPE 12750/7). (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)