The message from EPHA, BEUC and AIM
As the preparations are being made to shape the new College of Commissioners, the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), the European Consumers Organisation (BEUC) and the Association Internationale de la Mutualité (AIM) call on the President of the European Commission, the Member States and the European Parliament to make health the main driver for pharmaceutical policy at the EU level by giving the lead role in pharmaceutical policy to the Health Commissioner. This transfer of responsibility should also be reflected at the Directorate Generals’ level : pharmaceutical policy should be transferred from DG Entreprise and Industry to the Health focused DG.
"Pharmaceutical policy is an integral part of public health policy making. Medicines form a major part of treatment measures and are therefore of key importance in safeguarding health. The access to safe, effective and high quality medicines is a human right. Therefore, pharmaceutical policy making should put health and human rights at its core.", declared EPHA, BEUC and AIM.
To read the full letter that was sent out to President Barroso and Heads of State, please click here
Growing number of MEPs support the transfer of responsibility on pharmaceutical policy
On 5 November 2009, Chris Davies MEP (Coordinator of the ALDE group in the ENVI Committee of the EP), Satu Hassi MEP (Coordinator of the Greens/EFA group in the ENVI Committee of the EP) and Kartika Liotard MEP (Coordinator of the GUE group in the ENVI Committee of the EP) wrote to President Barroso on the question of "Alignment of Commission governance on medicinal products and medical devices to the Lisbon Treaty". "In view of the near-finalisation of the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, we would like to urge you to be proactive and thus to rearrange the corresponding responsibilities in the European Commission. For the next college, it would be highly desirable if the Health Commissioner were in charge of policies related to pharmaceuticals and medical devices. This should obviously go hand in hand with a shift of the relevant responsibilities from the Directorate-General Enterprise and Industry to the Directorate-General Health and Consumers.", said the coordinators of the ALDE, Greens/EFA and GUE groups in the ENVI Committee.
On 3 November 2009, Elena Oana Antonescu MEP (EPP, Romania) asked President Barroso to include pharmaceutical policy in the Health portfolio within the European Commission. "Health is a core issue for all European citizens and the European Union has the responsibility to protect and promote human health in all its actions and policies. A sustained and integrated approach to health policy is needed," said MEP Antonescu in her communication to Mr. Barroso. "I believe that the health portfolio within the European Commission should include pharmaceutical policy –medicines and medical devices. Medicines form a major part of treatment measures and are therefore of key importance in safeguarding health. Furthermore, EU methods of organising competence in pharmaceutical policy should be aligned to those of Member States."
On 21 October 2009, Dr. Pieter Liese MEP (EPP, Germany), and Dr. Thomas Ulmer MEP (EPP, Germany) ask for a transfer of responsibility for pharmaceutical legislation from the Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry to the Commissioner for Health. Accordingly, the responsibility for pharmaceutical legislation should be transferred from DG Enterprise to DG SANCO. The press release is available in German here
On 9 September 2009 Dr. Cristian Silviu Busoi MEP (ALDE, Romania) asked President Barroso to include pharmaceutical policy under the Health Commissioner’s portfolio. Mr. Busoi asked Mr. Barroso if he intended to re-shape the Commission, with a new DG Health that includes the competence for medicines and medical devices. Furthermore, Dr. Busoi MEP stated that medicines and medical devices policy are an integral part of health policy and as such the two should be combined. A DG Health with competence for medicines would ensure that citizens’ health is the main driver for pharmaceutical policy.
Committee of the Regions’s member draws the attention on the competence on pharmaceutical policy in the European Commission
On 30 June 2009, Susanna Haby (EPP, Sweden) declared in relation to the so-called Pharmaceutical package : "This package of six proposals comes from DG Enterprise - not DG Sanco as would normally be the case for health-related legislation - which tells you all you need to know about who is likely to benefit from them".
Growing number of Civil Society Organisations support the transfer of responsibility on pharmaceutical policy
The Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) declared they would welcome a realignment of pharmaceutical policy to confer primary responsibility on DG Health & Consumers in their letter to President Barroso.
The Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) declared in a letter sent to President Barroso : "We wish to express our support for a realignment of responsibilities within the Commission with regard to pharmaceuticals. In particular, we believe that pharmaceutical policy should substantially be dealt with by DG Sanco." To read their full letter, please click here.
The European Social Insurance Platform (ESIP) addressed an open letter to President Barroso. "In our opinion the health of the European citizen should be the main driver behind pharmaceutical and medical devices policy at EU level, in particular the legislative and safety aspects of these policies. As such we request that the principal responsibility for these policies in the future is assigned to the new Commissioner in charge of health.", said ESIP.
The Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union (COFACE) sent a letter to the President of the European Commission asking for a transfer of competence from DG Enterprise to DG SANCO. Please visit the COFACE website for more information]
The Social Platform have publicly expressed support for the EPHA- BEUC-AIM campaign and sent a letter to President Barroso on the matter. For more information, please click here
The International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA) also called for pharmaceutical policy to be included under the management of the health focused directorate in the European Commission, in a letter sent to President Barroso.
The European Older People’s Platform (AGE), The Association Internationale de la Mutualité (AIM), The Association François Aupetit (AFA), The European Consumer´s organisation (BEUC), The Confederation of Family Organisations in the EU (COFACE), The European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG), The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), The European Social Insurance Platform (ESIP), The European Union of the Social Pharmacies (EUSP), The European Hospital and Healthcare Federation (HOPE), Health Action International (HAI), The International Society of Drug Bulletins (ISDB), Medicines in Europe Forum (MiEF) "stressed the need for a transfer of competence on pharmaceuticals from the European Commission Directorate General Enterprise and Industry to a Directorate General whose focus is health." To read the press release submitted on 16 June 2009 by these organisations please click here
Consilgio Nazionale dei Consumatori e degli Utenti (CNCU) sent a letter to Silvio Berlusconi on this policy matter, saying "Pharmaceutical policy should become a responsibility of the Directorate General responsible for health and not the one responsible for industry". To read the full letter in Italian, please click here.
