The Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union wants to make progress on legislation pertaining to biotechnologies, clinical trials and medical devices in order to reconcile European competitiveness, innovation and patients’ access to care. Irish Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, who presented these priorities on Monday 13 July before the European Parliament’s Committee on Public Health (SANT), said that she also wanted the Council of the EU to reach a General approach on simplifying the rules applicable to medical devices by December.
The minister thus stated that the brand-new Presidency of the Council of the EU would “as quickly as possible” advance future legislation on biotechnologies, as well as the revision of regulations on clinical trials and medical devices. In her opinion, “health resilience and competitiveness are not contradictory” while “smarter regulation”, better access to treatments and sustained innovation must go “hand in hand”.
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill also said that she wanted to facilitate access for Europeans to clinical trials and encourage how they are conducted within the territory of the European Union.
At the end of her speech, András Kulja (EPP, Hungarian) asked her about the guarantees that the Presidency of the Council of the EU could provide to ensure that the negotiations on biotechnologies and medical devices result in a “more effective” regulatory framework, one that would reduce delays and make the EU more appealing for innovation.
Billy Kelleher (Renew Europe, Irish) also argued that it was imperative that a revision of the rules on clinical trials and medical devices was implemented, and that the European Union must regain its capacity for innovation and its autonomy in the pharmaceutical field.
In addition, the discussions focused on the next Multiannual Financial Framework. The chair of the SANT committee asked the minister about the absence of a budgetary programme specifically devoted to health in the European Commission proposal. Vytenis Andriukaitis (S&D, Lithuanian), Stine Bosse (Renew Europe, Danish), Kristian Vigenin (S&D, Bulgarian) and Kateřina Konečná (non-attached Member, Czech) also called for dedicated health funding to be preserved. They also noted the European Parliament’s request to allocate €10.05 billion to the EU4Health programme.
Ms MacNeill replied that, as Health Minister, she would like to “always argue for a larger health budget” as well as “a more clearly defined allocation of funds”, while also noting that the negotiations fell within the remit of the General Affairs Council and that she did not wish to encroach on her colleagues’ competences.
Moreover, the minister confirmed that women’s health, mental health, cardiovascular diseases, health data and staff shortages were among the non-legislative priorities of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU and, in response to Billy Kelleher, announced initiatives concerning menstruation-related issues and endometriosis.
To see the Presidency’s programme: https://aeur.eu/f/mgz ; and the provisional agenda: https://aeur.eu/f/mml (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)