Debate: Programme for the Union’s action in the field of health for the period -
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Stella Kyriakides
Language: EN

People across the EU have expected us to act as policymakers, as public health officials, and as their democratically elected representatives. They expected us to act to address the weaknesses in Europe’s health systems, which became even more apparent in this pandemic, but to ensure that we do much more in the future in every area of health.  With the EU4Health programme, we have the tools at hand to make long—lasting changes. Together, we are sending a clear message that we need more Europe in the area of public health. Targeted investments to enhance our crisis preparedness, and to build stronger, more resilient and more accessible health systems are key. That message comes loud and clear in the EU4Health programme, which represents, I would dare to say, a new era in health policy. This programme is more than a reaction to the pandemic. I want to thank this Parliament for its support for this ambitious programme. Thanks to you, this budget was increased to EUR 5.1 billion. I want particularly to thank Mr Buşoi, as well as all the shadow rapporteurs, for their excellent collaboration, but also every single colleague in the European Parliament. Your contributions were instrumental in reaching the political agreement in December along with the German Presidency, and here thanks also need to be given to Minister Spahn. This agreement, reached in record time, illustrates the power of collaboration and our potential to deliver concrete benefits across the Union. The EU4Health programme will support the fight against cross-border health threats, will reinforce Europe’s health systems, will drive the digitalisation of health, and will strengthen disease prevention. We plan to structure the first EU4Health programme for 2021 along these four health strands with a cross—cutting priority on cancer to support Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and, yes, we can make a difference. The gravity of the health crisis demands the swift adoption of the EU4Health regulation. We are determined that the first ever EU4Health Annual Work Programme will be ready for adoption as soon as possible so that we can roll out our EU—wide actions later in 2021.  I look forward to presenting to the Parliament the proceedings with the EU4Health Steering Group and the consultation with all stakeholders. Close collaboration is what has got us to this point, and only if we continue in this spirit can we deliver the health programme that Europeans expect, deserve and, of course, need. The pandemic has taught us harsh lessons and has highlighted the areas where we need to take decisive action. Knowing what we know now, we cannot go back to what was the old normal. Indeed, we are determined to respond in a way that looks to the future and develops concrete benefits and protection to citizens. This is exactly why, in November last year, the Commission adopted a package to build a stronger European Health Union. This package includes an updated regulation on serious cross-border health threats and proposals to reinforce our two key agencies, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). This package is under discussion with the Member States, as well as in the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). We need to do all we can to ensure that these proposals become a reality and, again, I count on your support. We will present our proposal on the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) to strengthen access and availability of medical countermeasures later this year. In the meantime, we are already ready to roll out the first actions under the HERA incubator, which will be supporting the production and delivery of adapted or novel COVID-19 vaccines. We know that speed is of the essence and we have to urgently anticipate and respond to the growing threat of coronavirus variants. Honourable Members - and I would say to many of you over the last one and a half years, dear friends - I count on your continued support in the implementation of the EU4Health programme and in the implementation of moving forward with the European Health Union proposals. Together, these proposals will ensure that the EU is healthier, more resilient and better prepared. While implementing these actions, we will ensure that European citizens know that, for each and every one of us, health is our priority. So let’s do this together.