EU action can bring added value to patients and health systems alike, especially in the context of increasing mobility. Patients’ safety and the quality of health care must be the focus of a future regulatory system, irrespective of whether it is the patient, the practitioner or the service that moves across the border.
The three Presidencies will therefore give highest priority to the work on the forthcoming proposal for a Directive on cross-border healthcare, and aim to conclude the negotiations before the end of the Swedish Presidency in 2009.
Special attention will be paid to the availability and safety of organs for donation and transplantation purposes in order to improve the quality of health care and safety of patients in this area. The issue of e-health and the transmission and sharing of healthcare information will also be encouraged and further developed.
Health promotion and disease prevention is at the core of public health policy in Europe. In the context of the implementation of the Community strategy for reducing alcohol related harm and the continued action against smoking increased attention will be paid to alcohol consumption and use of tobacco products by children and adolescents.
The EU Strategy on nutrition, overweight and obesity related health issues will continue to be implemented.
The cross-border threat of communicable diseases and other threats to public health require enhanced coordination and cooperation at EU-level. To this end, the Presidencies wish to increase the political awareness on health threats and will work towards strengthening the EU systems in order to achieve efficient surveillance and response mechanisms linking national, EU and global institutions. The Presidencies will also keep the issue of antibiotic resistance on their agenda.
In relation to Europe’s aging societies, the Presidencies will draw particular attention to Alzheimer’s disease by focusing efforts at EU level on enhancing the coordination of research and the exchange of experiences relating to healthcare and solidarity with carers. Action should also be pursued on rare diseases.
Pharmaceuticals provide a crucial contribution to improved health among citizens. The Presidencies will support the EU’s overall objective in this field of improving the quality and security of pharmaceuticals, focusing on strengthening and rationalising EU pharmacovigilance, antibiotic resistance, combating counterfeiting of pharmaceuticals and information to patients.
Food safety With a view to both simplifying current legislation and maintaining a high level of human health protection and consumers’ interests, the Presidencies will seek to finalise work on the revision of current legislation on food and nutritional labelling and on novel foods on the basis of the Commission proposals submitted in January and February 2008 respectively. The three Presidencies stress their interest in GMO issues and intend to address some GMO related topics.
Other cross-cutting health issues
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and its health check
the Presidencies will prepare a new action plan for the fight against counterfeiting (2009-2012)
