The Czech Minister of Health, Vlastimil Válek, presented to MEPs, on Tuesday 12 July, the health priorities of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council. Several of them regretted that this portfolio does not figure prominently in the Czech priorities.
EU health ministers will meet on 6 and 7 September in Prague for an informal meeting focusing on oncology, vaccination and a topical debate on the health consequences of Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine. They will then meet at the EPSCO Council on 9 December.
The priorities of the Czech Presidency will be determined by the consequences of the Russian military aggression in Ukraine and the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, which, Mr Válek stressed, is still ongoing.
The Presidency wants to work towards strengthening the strategic resilience of the European economy and institutions. The minister said that it was necessary to prepare for all scenarios and to ensure that European health systems were sufficiently robust. “We must not be surprised any more”, he insisted.
The fight against oncological diseases will be a shared priority with the European Commission and in line with the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, stressed Vlastimil Válek (see EUROPE 12650/1).
An oncology conference will be organised to launch a call for action to implement the Plan. The Presidency wants to launch a draft recommendation on cancer screening and hopes to present it to the EPSCO Council in December.
The European Commission is expected to propose recommendations on cancer screening in September.
Another Czech priority will be to ensure and improve access to treatments for rare diseases. A conference with experts will be organised on 25 and 26 October.
With regard to vaccination, the Czech Presidency intends to strengthen citizens’ confidence in vaccines. The minister said he expects the EU Council to adopt conclusions at a conference on 21-22 November in Prague on the issues of vaccination, combating disinformation and the use of tools developed in other crises.
The minister referred specifically to the vaccination against Covid-19. The Czech Presidency has given a positive assessment of the vaccination trend. However, the focus should be on new vaccines adapted to the new variants, according to Mr Válek.
The Presidency also wants to strengthen the EU’s role in the global fight against the pandemic and in the revised Global Health Strategy (see EUROPE 12844/2).
The Presidency intends to continue the legislative work already underway. Mr Válek spoke about the European Health Data Space (see EUROPE 12944/11). The patient must be at the centre of decisions in this area, he said. He hoped for progress on some chapters of the proposal by the EPSCO Council.
In addition, the minister said he hopes to present a progress report in December on the revision of the legislation on blood, tissues and cells on the basis of the European Commission’s proposal expected in the next few days.
The Czech Presidency wants to see a review of the fees of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as part of the revision of the European Medicines Strategy. Negotiations will be launched and a progress report presented under the Czech mandate. On the other hand, if new legislation on medicinal products is presented under the Czech Presidency, the minister wants to address the authorisation procedure for medicinal products for human use and a revision of the provisions on orphan medicines and medicinal products for paediatric use. (Original version in French by Emilie Vanderhulst)