Hospital.Help

Berlin The head of the European Commission’s representation in Germany, Barbara Gessler, reaffirms the role of health policy in the European Union (EU). Contrary to the perception that the policy area seems to have noticeably lost priority for the Commission, it is a cross-cutting issue that is personally close to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s heart, she said yesterday.

Health policy played a more important role than ever before during the last legislative period in Brussels, and not only because of the corona pandemic. In addition to the action plan against cancer and the fight against drug supply shortages, several major projects were initiated, such as the European Health Data Space (EHDS) or the reform of the European pharmaceutical regulatory framework, which will extend into the new legislative period.

Not least statements by the current EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides or von der Leyen herself suggested that this policy area would become increasingly important at the European level. However, based on its previous announcements, the new Commission, which is still awaiting confirmation by Parliament, no longer seems to attach any particular importance to this policy area.

Apart from the announcement of another pharmaceutical law, health policy issues play at most a minor role in the guidelines presented so far for the next five years.

However, this impression is misleading, explained Gessler yesterday in Berlin. It would be wrong to say that this is not an issue for a president who is herself a doctor, she stressed. The fact that she has a strong awareness of the issue has been shown during the corona pandemic.

Von der Leyen holds a doctorate and is a licensed medical doctor. She also has a Master of Public Health, which she acquired while working in the Department of Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health Systems Research at the Hannover Medical School.

Gessler stressed that the new Commission sees health policy as a cross-cutting issue that is reflected in various policy areas. For example, strengthening hospital cybersecurity is planned as part of the European Security Strategy.

She did not want to comment on the candidate for the post of Health Commissioner, the Hungarian Olivr Vrhelyi. Vrhelyi, who is considered a confidant of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and was previously Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement, is one of the most controversial appointments in von der Leyen’s candidate portfolio.

EU parliamentarian Peter Liese (CDU) criticized the appointment and expressed expectations that Vhelyi might not survive questioning by the relevant parliamentary committee. In her mission letter to Vrhelyi, von der Leyen explained that his focus would be on the creation of a European Health Union, another project that had already been initiated in the previous legislative period.

This includes diversifying supply chains, improving access to advanced therapies and strengthening the competitiveness, resilience and security of European healthcare systems.

In addition, Vrhelyi will pursue a One Health approach that focuses on the connection between human, animal and environmental health. Recent years have highlighted the importance of such an approach and the need for a true European Health Union, the letter states.

Specifically, the new Health Commissioner is to launch the planned Critical Medicines Act to combat the problem of rampant drug supply shortages in the EU and complete the reform of the EU pharmaceutical regulatory framework.

He will also be responsible for the improvements to the EU Medical Devices Regulation, which were already initiated this year, and the EHDS, which has already been largely negotiated, as well as continuing the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

The letter also proposes to address other health risks as part of strengthening prevention. Von der Leyen specifically mentions an evaluation and reform of legislation on tobacco products. In doing so, he should pay particular attention to the problem of young people’s access to new types of tobacco and nicotine products. © lau/aerzteblatt.de