Debate: The EU’s public health strategy post-COVID-
Date: WEDNESDAY, 8 JULY 2020
Speaker: Stella Kyriakides
Language: EN

Whilst no one knows with certainty how the coming weeks and months will develop and while it is still too early to speak about life ‘post-COVID’ (I speak of the ‘new normal’), it is certainly the right time for us all to reflect. We need to reflect on the painful lessons we are learning. We need to reflect on the areas we need to improve and where our actions should be strengthened to protect the EU from future cross-border health threats. And we need to reflect on what the EU’s role in health policy should be more broadly, in respect of Member States’ responsibility for their health policy enshrined in the Treaty. Next week, on 15 July, we will present an Action Plan setting out a number of immediate short-term actions to help EU Member States prepare for and manage possible new outbreaks of COVID-19. I want to be absolutely clear: a full-blown second wave is, unfortunately, not inevitable. It is, however, up to us to control it and prepare, if and when it comes. Our actions should focus on reducing the burden on health systems, particularly if new outbreaks coincide with the influenza season in the autumn and winter. COVID-19 has shown us very clearly that a united approach is critical, but that we must also strengthen the EU’s current preparedness and response mechanisms to better protect the health of our citizens. Many, including members of this House, and our citizens, have called and are calling for a stronger role for the EU on health. I cannot but agree, and say that I stand ready to work on this together. As a first step, we should increase our capacity to support Member States. This will require stronger and more operational EU agencies. In the coming months we will be proposing to strengthen the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, to improve its coordination capacities and its mandate to respond to health crises. We will also be proposing to strengthen the European Medicines Agency to ensure it can effectively coordinate our actions in preventing medicine shortages. We also want to look at how to strengthen our EU framework on cross border health threats. Beyond the immediate priorities, now is also the right moment to reflect on the EU’s competences in the area of public health, and its limitations. I, for one, have, from the very beginning, said that we need more Europe in the area of public health. The Conference on the Future of Europe provides an excellent forum to really debate this, whether we need to look again at who does what between the national and the European level, and particularly so as regards threats that touch us all, regardless of borders. Even within the deepest crisis, however, come opportunities – opportunities from what we have learned. Strengthening the strategic autonomy of our health and pharmaceutical systems is a case in point from the current crisis. With our proposed EU4Health Programme and the unprecedented EUR 9.4 billion envelope we proposed, we send a very clear message that public health is a priority area for our recovery, that we have been listening to citizens, that targeted investment in crisis preparedness and stronger health systems for the future is key. What is now required is very close cooperation and a swift agreement between Parliament and the Council in the coming weeks and months to ensure it can be delivered. I fully count on your support to take the ambition forward. In parallel, and I am very aware of the importance, our new Pharmaceutical Strategy will be coming later this year – an opportunity for us to ensure and reinforce the strategic autonomy of our pharmaceutical sector and ensure access and affordability of essential medicines for our citizens. I have been in contact with stakeholders for this strategy over the last few weeks. The next six months are critical. Now is not the time to let our guard down. The situation remains very fragile, and we see this in a number of Member States. Stable numbers change very quickly. A safe and effective vaccine likely remains the only permanent solution to this pandemic, but this is still some time away. Together with the Member States, we are fully engaged in negotiations with vaccine manufacturers to ensure access to vaccines when they become available. We will ensure that the EU continues to play a leading role in international efforts to develop, manufacture and deploy a universally-accessible vaccine for all Member States of the EU, leaving no one behind, and for the world. We are not going to say ‘us first’. We will continue to support countries inside and outside the EU to protect all people from new outbreaks, especially the most vulnerable. Solidarity will remain key, because it saves lives. And here I just want add that from the beginning of this pandemic, I have held over 26-27 meetings with all the Health Ministers and I am in constant communication with them, because this is the only way that we can build up this level of coordination, consensus and working together so we can deal with what it means to move forward. We need to pool resources, we need to tackle jointly the issues that affect all of us. This is the first and possibly the most important lesson learned from this crisis: we need to respond to the expectations of our citizens, ensuring a stronger role for the EU when citizens’ health is at stake from threats – threats which do not stop at national borders. And we all have a collective duty to ensure that.