On 2 June the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council of the European Union met in Luxembourg. Health issues discussed included the Pharmaceuticals review, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the draft Directive on Human tissues and cells. Other items on the agenda were an update on the SARS situation, and on the high-level reflection process on cross-border patient mobility. The Council also adopted conclusions on combatting stigma and discrimination on mental health issues.
Political agreement was reached on a common position on two elements of the Pharmaceuticals review (human medicines) although Belgium and the Netherlands voted against and several accession countries expressed reservations.
Agreement was reached on two core issues, namely the scope of the centralised procedure for granting marketing authorisation for medicinal products and the data protection periods. A proposed clause to allow direct-to-consumer information from industry was rejected.
A Council common position on the final piece of the Pharma review (Vetinary medicines) is needed before the European Parliament starts second reading on the whole Pharma review.
