Filenews 2 December 2020
A call for the rapid promotion and implementation, with the cooperation of the Member States, of the plans for the European Union for Health, was again addressed today by Commissioner Stella Kyriakidou, during the teleconference of the 27 EU Health Ministers.
In particular, the Commissioner responsible stressed to Ministers that the COVID-19 pandemic reminded us of "the fundamental importance of our health" and stressed the need at EU level for "more resilient health systems, more coordination and better preparation for future crises".
The Commissioner noted to Ministers that "we are now taking decisive, coordinated measures to end this pandemic, mobilising all our instruments to support the Member States", but pointed out that "we must also look to the future, address these structural vulnerabilities and protect our health and way of life from the next crisis".
The Commissioner pointed out that "we must overcome the old taboos about competences, we must consider what challenges we must face", recalling that challenges go beyond borders and a genuine European Health Union is necessary to improve collective health security.
As she said, "three weeks ago, we proposed the first building blocks of this Health Union - a stable framework for EU preparedness, surveillance, risk assessment, early warning and response. These proposals fall fully within the scope of the Treaty and respect the responsibilities of the Member States."
"As a first step, we want to strengthen EU legislation on cross-border health threats. This will lead to stronger coordination and greater potential for action when faced with crises. The proposal for a regulation on serious cross-border health threats is based on the current decision, extending key elements such as supervision, preparedness and the role of the EU Health Safety Committee," the Commissioner stressed.
"Secondly, we want to strengthen the mandates of two of our main organisations - the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Medicines Agency - so that they are suitable for today's world. They are crucial to the pandemic, but they can offer more - if they are given stronger orders," he clarified.
"Finally, we have announced the main elements of the future Health Response Authority (HERA), which will be proposed by the end of 2021. HERA will be an important new element in supporting a better RESPONSE at EU level to cross-border health threats . Of course, this framework will need effective governance and coordination between Member States, the Commission, EU agencies and institutions," Stella Kyriakidou pointed out.
"The European Health Union will strengthen existing structures and mechanisms and improve protection, prevention, preparedness and response at EU level to future health crises - with all the social and economic benefits this will bring," he stressed.
"However, the Health Union will be as strong as the Member States' commitment to it. I therefore call on you to give all these proposals your full support. By working together, we can build a stronger, healthier and safer EU, something our citizens expect from us," he concluded.
Attention to the early withdrawal of restrictive measures is recommended to Ministers by Commissioner Kyriakidou
A stern warning that the early relaxation of pandemic containment measures could lead to a rapid increase in cases and deaths and then to the need for new containment measures, Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakidou went on to address the teleconference of health ministers, currently being held under the German Presidency.
The Commissioner pointed out to Ministers that this pattern is obvious from the results of the summer and asked them to be particularly careful ahead of January, when an increase may occur after a possible relaxation in the holidays.
She warned Ministers that this time, "we have the opportunity to do things differently," urging them to learn from the mistakes and the high price they paid.
"I welcome the proposed Council conclusions on the lessons learned from COVID-19. This sends a timely political message," he pointed out.
"They send a clear message that by highlighting vulnerabilities in our health systems and our response to health crises, the pandemic has also shown us what we need to strengthen and how," he noted.
"EU citizens see health as a priority and expect Europe to do more to protect them. We must live up to these expectations and overcome the old taboos. Now is the time for results," he stressed.
"Improving collective preparedness for crises is a vital step in this process and we have put forward proposals to create a genuine European Health Union. A European Health Union where medicines are available and accessible to all through our Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe and where a European Health Data Area is a reality. I welcome support for the conclusions on both of these points," he said.
"Today we also have the opportunity to show that we have learned the important lessons from the relaxation of measures during the summer. Today, we adopted a strategy to stay safe from COVID-19 during the winter. With this, we expect the pandemic to develop in the coming months, and in particular the upcoming holiday season. Winter means more transmission of the virus and fewer options to keep it away. With lower temperatures we remain indoors and this leads to higher transmission," he explained.
"I would like to emphasise very strongly that, until vaccines can be used adequately, measures to control and mitigate the spread of coronavirus must continue in the coming months, especially during the end-of-year holiday period. We must ensure that activities of transmission and overtransmission are avoided. This is necessary to control future outbreaks," the Commissioner clarified.
"Believe me when I say I know what sacrifices we all have to make to keep each other safe and I understand the desire to loosen the restrictions. However, we are not in the same situation as before the summer. More than 5000 people die every day," he reminded Ministers.
Today we have proposed tailored tips for the upcoming end of the year and the festive season. For a safer end of the year, I invite you to watch them. This is a festive season and an end of year that is about protecting and saving lives. But there's also hope. Europe's Medicines Agency has received applications for conditional approval for two vaccines this week. In this context, efforts must now focus on making vaccination campaigns available as soon as safe and effective vaccines are available. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those Member States that have shared with us the proposed COVID-19 vaccination strategies. Security is the key word here. Vaccine safety is our priority. I must be clear to everyone that all vaccines will be evaluated for their safety, quality and effectiveness. This is the way we can get people to go ahead with vaccinations. They're life-saving vaccinations, not vaccines. At the same time, we will do our utmost to streamline the procedures for granting conditional authorisation as soon as possible once the EMA gives a positive scientific opinion," the Commissioner explained in detail.
Source: eyenews/CYPE
