Brussels, 23/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - On the basis of joint forecasts from the three successive Presidencies of the Council (France, Czech Republic and Sweden), the deputy permanent representative of France, Philippe Léglise-Costa, submitted to health ministers, meeting on Tuesday 10 June in Luxembourg, the first outline of the French Presidency's priorities. In the health security domain, the Presidency intends to continue the preparatory work on a human flu pandemic and identify coordination difficulties, prepare the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) mandate review in Stockholm, as well as that for the health security committee. This theme will be developed during the informal health ministers meeting programmed for 8-9 September in Angers.
The Presidency's work will to a large extent depend on the proposals the Commission is preparing on: 1) cross-border health (postponed several times in the second half of 2007, this draft directive may finally be adopted over the next few weeks; 2 July has been mentioned), 2) rare diseases (communication), 3) security and quality of health care, 4) resistance to antibiotics. France will be organizing a conference on “Europe of health and patient services” in mid-October. Another conference on 30-31 October in Paris, will looking at Alzheimer's disease.
The Pharmaceutical Forum on 2 October in Brussels will be examining medicine safety, within the context of the fight against counterfeiting (EUROPE 9687 for industry's position on the question).
In the perspective of the forthcoming conference on 17-22 November in South Africa, the French Presidency will be preparing the EU's common positions for negotiating the international recommendations from the Anti-smoking Convention. A EUROMED inter-ministerial conference will also be taking place in Cairo on 16-17 November. (O.J./transl.rh)