Commission Communication on the EU Strategic Framework for Global Health
Date: 2022-06-27
Institutions: Directorate-General for International Partnerships, European Commission
Subjects: health policy



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CALL FOR EVIDENCE


FOR AN INITIATIVE  (without an impact assessment)






This document aims to inform the public and stakeholders about the Commission's work, so they can provide feedback and participate effectively in consultation activities. 


We ask these groups to provide views on the Commission's understanding of the problem and possible solutions, and to give us any relevant information they may have. 




 You should finalise this document at the earliest stages of the preparatory process, so that best use can be made of feedback from stakeholders.






Title of the initiative




EU strategic framework for global health 







Lead DG – responsible unit 




DG INTPA – Unit G4, Social Inclusion and Protection, Health and Demography


DG SANTE – Unit C4, International Relations (co-responsible)






Likely Type of initiative




Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions






Indicative Timing




Q4-2022






Additional Information




https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/our-work_en


https://ec.europa.eu/info/topics/public-health_en















A. Political context, problem definition and subsidiarity check






Political context 






There have been significant changes in global health and geopolitics since the Commission’s 2010 communication The EU Role in Global Health, which laid the foundations for EU action for the first time. These changes include: (i) the UN Sustainable Development Goals; (ii) the COVID-19 pandemic; (iii) the EU Global Gateway strategy; (iv) the increasing effect of climate change and biodiversity loss; (v) the evolution of infectious and non-communicable diseases; and (vi) the recent changes in the global health architecture. 


Different stakeholders, including EU governments, the European Parliament, academia and civil society, have called for a new strategy on the EU’s role in global health. This communication presents a new global health strategy, which responds to the changes above and strengthen the EU’s leadership in global health and its contribution. The strategy will be based on the EU’s commitment to human rights and health equity, including women’s health It will recognise the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment (the ‘One Health’ approach). 







Problem the initiative aims to tackle






The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that the international dimension of EU health policy has become a crucial part of the EU’s external action. The health, well-being and wealth of the public depends on the EU’s ability to effectively tackle health inequalities and prevent and address global health threats. Beyond dealing better with emergencies, the pandemic has revealed structural weaknesses and problems.


This initiative tackles the problems described below.


1)Global health systems are not strong or resilient enough to handle global threats, including communicable diseases. 


2)The global community does not sufficiently look from every necessary angle to understand, prevent and tackle health threats. These include: 


·the links between the environment, animal and plant health, and human health; 


·new approaches to developing pharmaceuticals to ensure access to safe, high-quality, effective and affordable treatments for everyone, while maintaining innovation; 


·digitalisation, a powerful feature, which must be exploited fully to deliver health solutions. 


3)Efforts to meet the health-related UN Sustainable Development Goals, including universal health coverage, have suffered as a result of managing the COVID-19 pandemic.


4)The global health architecture of institutions and partnerships struggles to deal with global health threats in the increasingly complex geopolitical context. Health has become a geopolitical issue, especially given the health-security nexus.






Basis for EU action (legal basis and subsidiarity check) 






Legal basis






Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which sets out EU action in public health, and Article 208 of the same Treaty on development cooperation. 






Practical need for EU action






This initiative sets out a strategy for external relations activities in public health. It will respect the principles and rules that govern EU internal and external policy initiatives, including subsidiarity. 


EU action will be more effective if the work of EU countries and the EU institutions in non-EU partner countries and regions is closely coordinated, following guidelines developed in the strategy. 






B. What does the initiative aim to achieve and how






This initiative aims to renew the EU’s external action in health and build on the strengthened European Health Union to respond to the challenges that have emerged since the 2010 communication. The initiative sets out a strategy to:


1)strengthen global health systems to tackle health inequalities, advance towards universal health coverage and deliver social protection in health; 


2)strengthen the EU’s global leadership through a Team Europe approach, which contributes to more effective multilateral institutions and develops strategic partnerships with other regions in the world, together with more effective communication; 


3)ensure effective financing through a Team Europe approach, which corresponds to this initiative’s needs and ambitions.


The strategy will set out thematic and cross-cutting measures to achieve these objectives. Cross-cutting measures may include those described below. 


a)Better coordination to speak with one voice – with EU countries and stakeholders – at global, regional and national level.


b)Promoting better coordination between other global health actors and initiatives, e.g. by implementing the Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All.


c)Leading by example and earning credibility. The strategy will outline the necessary steps to be taken by the Commission, EU countries, Parliament and stakeholders.


d)Improving the global health architecture to tackle health challenges more effectively and in an equitable manner. The strategy will reflect on multilateralism and making the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other global health initiatives more efficient. It will promote strengthening the health system across specific funding streams. It will tackle pandemics with a dedicated binding instrument and strengthened International Health Regulations. At the same time, in a rapidly changing world, the EU’s global health policy must adapt by improving plurilateral cooperation (e.g. G7, G20, OECD) and bilateral cooperation.


e)Effectively making health a part of all policies (e.g. trade, global supply chain resilience) that are essential in helping to achieve health policy objectives.






Likely impacts






The specific impacts relate to individual initiatives that are likely to follow the strategy. These will be assessed individually based on the Better Regulation guidelines.






Future monitoring






Any follow-up initiatives will be subject to the general rules on evaluation and monitoring.






C. Better regulation






Impact assessment






This initiative is a communication setting out a general policy approach. An impact assessment is therefore not being conducted.






Consultation strategy






The consultation has three main activities:


·this call for evidence; 


·a public consultation lasting 12 weeks starting in June 2022, available in all official EU languages; 


·targeted stakeholder consultations starting in June 2022. 



The consultations will let stakeholders provide their views on the initiative. All relevant input will be taken into account to build a solid, evidence-based foundation for the strategy. The outcome of those consultation activities will complement evidence from other reliable sources (e.g. studies).


The targeted consultations will be organised in existing forums, such as the Global Health Policy Forum and working groups. These activities will be publicised in the DG SANTE or DG INTPA websites.


Responses to these consultations can be made in all official EU languages. The consultation will be promoted via press releases, webpages, social media, etc. A summary of the consultation activities will be published on the Have Your Say portal.






Why we are consulting?






The aim of the consultation is to let a wide range of participants, from stakeholders to the public, give their views on what the global health strategy should include. 






Target audience






Contributions from the public (e.g. non-experts and experts responding in an individual capacity) and organisations are welcome. 


We are targeting: 


·national public authority representatives (EU and partner countries) 


·intergovernmental organisations (e.g. WHO)


·non-governmental organisations 


·academia 


·industry 


·health-related professional associations 


·patient associations 


·philanthropic organisations.