The European Health Ministers will be meeting in Luxembourg on Friday 21 June, under the chairmanship of Belgian Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, to review the state of negotiations on the pharmaceutical package.
The Belgian Presidency of the EU Council has scheduled a policy debate on the proposals of the pharmaceutical package (a regulation and a directive proposed by the Commission in April 2022) as well as on the theme of the system of incentive measures contained in this pharmaceutical package (see EUROPE 13388/13).
In particular, the modulation of the total duration of the regulatory data protection (RDP) period, the parallel reduction of the basic RDP period to six years, the introduction of the market access incentive and the provisions on (significant) unmet medical needs deviate considerably from the current system, requiring in-depth political discussion at ministerial level, explains a note from the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council.
See the note:https://aeur.eu/f/cq8
European Health Union. The EU Council is expected to approve conclusions on the future of the European Health Union (see EUROPE 13426/10). The text places particular emphasis on combating the shortage of healthcare staff, introducing an independent database on needs, preventing non-communicable diseases and ensuring security of supply, including stockpiling strategies.
The EU Council will also adopt its recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers (see EUROPE 13425/24).
Several “other items”. The Czech delegation, supported by several countries, will provide information on national stocks of medicines.
The Belgian Presidency of the EU Council and the Commission will inform Ministers of the progress of negotiations for an international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response and on complementary amendments to the International Health Regulations (see EUROPE 13422/4).
The Hungarian delegation will provide information on the work programme of its forthcoming Presidency of the EU Council in the field of health policy.
Spain will provide information on the health situation in Gaza.
The Romanian delegation will report on efforts to end the HIV epidemic in Europe by 2030, with clear targets to combat the alarming spread of HIV worldwide.
Denmark, on behalf of several countries, will present a position paper on strengthening efforts to protect children from the marketing and sale of tobacco and nicotine products, particularly on digital platforms.
The Latvian delegation will share information on new tobacco and nicotine products, drawing particular attention to the popularity of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) among young people (see EUROPE 13425/6). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)