EU health ministers will meet in Luxembourg on Tuesday 13 June to adopt a Council recommendation on stepping up action to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
On 26 April 2023, the Commission published its proposal for a recommendation on antimicrobial resistance as part of a package of measures to revise the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation. The proposed Council Recommendation sets out a number of measures to combat antimicrobial resistance, including: - specific and measurable targets for reducing antibiotic use; - strengthening infection prevention and control measures; - improved public awareness; - education and training of relevant professionals; - cooperation between stakeholders from relevant sectors (see EUROPE 13192/23).
In addition, based on a background note prepared by the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU (https://aeur.eu/f/7ec ), the health ministers will discuss ways to strengthen the pharmaceutical ecosystem to support competitiveness and equitable access to medicines.
EMA. The Council will endeavour to adopt its position (general approach: https://aeur.eu/f/7e9 ) on the regulation on fees and charges payable to the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In 2021, around 90% of the Agency’s funding came from charges (see EUROPE 13192/23).
European Health Data Space. The health ministers will take stock (https://aeur.eu/f/7ea ) of the progress made on the regulation to set up a European Health Data Space (EHDS). The Commission published the proposal in May 2022.
Substances of human origin. The Council will review progress on the proposal for a quality and safety standards regulation for substances of human origin (SoHO) intended for human application.
The Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Commission will brief delegations on the negotiations for an international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and further amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR).
Finally, the Commission will also provide information on its recent Communication on mental health (see EUROPE 13196/1). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)