Image: European Union
Europe must ‘give much higher priority’ to health and boost innovation, ministers agree
EU industry and health ministers have given their support to European Commission proposals for the EU’s financial recovery from Covid-19, including the establishment of a new €9.4 billion health programme.
The EU4Health programme, proposed in May, would operate alongside the bloc’s 2021-27 R&D programme, Horizon Europe, and invest in disease prevention, crisis preparedness, medicine and equipment procurement, and improving long-term health outcomes.
Health ministers “broadly welcomed” the programme in their first debate on it on 12 June, according to the Croatian presidency of the Council of the EU.
“Our discussion today confirmed the main lesson to be drawn from the Covid-19 pandemic—Europe needs to give much higher priority to health,” said Tomislav Dulibić (pictured centre), Croatia’s state secretary for health.
Health ministers also underscored the importance of transparency in negotiations on the programme, use of funds and the distribution of potential Covid-19 vaccines. They said it would be important to strengthen the role of existing EU bodies, such as the European Medicines Agency, and curb the bloc’s dependence on third countries to supply its medicines.
In a 12 June joint statement following a meeting of their own, ministers for the EU internal market and industry backed the broader plan for recovery, which focuses on using green and digital initiatives to kickstart the economy. They stressed the need to assist workers and SMEs, and boost innovation, while keeping Europe’s economy competitive.
“We need to take all the necessary steps for the prompt and sustainable recovery of the EU economy as a whole,” said Croatian minister of economy Darko Horvat, who urged a recovery “based on solidarity and close cooperation”.
The input from the ministers is a prelude to more influential contributions from finance ministers and national leaders in the coming weeks.