S&D MEPs call for creation of a European public health agency
On Wednesday 16 October, the S&D Group in European Parliament presented ideas and measures to place health at the centre of EU policies, with a focus on preventing and managing environmental risks. The group called for a European public health agency to be created before the end of Parliament’s mandate.
“The Health Union needs fresh impetus. And we are here”, declared Christophe Clergeau (S&D, French) at a meeting with the press on Wednesday morning.
“Health is a new political priority for our S&D Group”, he added, specifying that the document on health priorities had been adopted in Opatija, Croatia, on 1 October, following an internal political process.
Mr Clergeau cited the need for a “prevention revolution, based on the exposome approach” (all the environmental, social and behavioural exposures to which an individual is subjected). “Scientists now believe that genetics account for 20% of health problems, while the exposome accounts for 80%”, explained the MEP.
The group is calling for an ambitious European prevention plan and strict regulations on all forms of pollution and hazardous products.
To develop this approach further, we need data and knowledge on a European scale. “We believe that a European public health agency must be created”, argued Mr Clergeau. This agency could be set up within the next two or three years, he believes, relying on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and working with the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA).
The idea is not to merge all existing agencies or create a single structure for all products. The European agency would have a clear mandate to establish the links between occupational health, the environment, dangerous substances, epidemics and overall health, said Mr Clergeau.
The S&D Group agrees with the principle of a tax on ultra-processed foods (see EUROPE 13718/7).
“Fair pricing and taxation, local and bio sourcing, and transparent labelling are all key tools in order to promote healthier lifestyles”, the document says.
On attempts by the right and far right in European Parliament to water down environmental rules, Mr Clergeau took the offensive: “If the right and far right take responsibility for endangering the health of Europeans, we’ll communicate this all over Europe. They’ll have to assume responsibility to the public”.
Romana Jerković (S&D, Croatian) called for the tobacco directives to be reviewed and a European cardiovascular health plan and European women’s health plan to be introduced.
Vytenis Andriukaitis (S&D, Lithuanian) recommended using the ‘European reference networks’, which deal with major challenges for 35 million patients, to create a “pan-European ecosystem for rare diseases”, which also involves maintaining a high standard in clinical trials and producing new orphan medicines and medical devices.
