The Spanish Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs, Celia Villalobos Talero, presented the Presidency’s priorities on Health and Consumer Protection on 4 February 2002. The public health programme, the blood directive and a common understanding on tobacco are urgent issues.
Minister Villalobos began her speech to the European Parliament’s Environment Committee in February by highlighting the fact that the Spanish Presidency "places special importance on all those matters concerning the protection and promotion of the health of the population..."
In the run up to the Health Council in June, she has three important legislative proposals on health that need to be tackled.
They are:
The adoption of the Public Health Action Programme
The adoption of Blood Directive
Reaching a Common Position in Council on the Tobacco advertising Directive.
On tobacco, the Minister referred specifically to tobacco subsidies. She said that it was important to "be aware of possible internal contradictions in the various policies of the European Union.... For instance, Public Health policies and their relation to farm policies".
Other key areas of concern
Free movement of patients
Another of the Minister’s major concerns is the free movement of patients within the Union. Minister Villalobos said that recent judgements of the European Court of Justice "reflect a clear contradiction between the limitations of powers which appear in the Treaty and the free movement of citizens and services within the European Union. .. We will deal with this matter in Malaga (see below), and we will endeavour to come to an agreement on solutions, and will, not, a priori, overrule long-term solutions, as for instance reforming the Treaty itself."
Pharmaceutical products
The Minister provided important news on future responsibilities in regard to the pharmaceutical review process. She said that "the revision of pharmaceutical legislation which this Presidency has decided to examine in the Health Council Meeting, and not, as has traditionally been done, in the Internal Market, Tourism and Consumer Protection Council Meeting."
The Spanish Presidency of the European Union runs from January-June 2002. The Spanish presidency website address is http://www.ue2002.es/principal.asp?idioma=ingles
Patients discussion at Malaga:
The movement of patients in Europe was a major theme discussed at the meeting of 11 health ministers in February in Malaga. The meeting made it clear that action was imperative: "Doing nothing is not a viable option", the report says. The diversity of the health care systems in Europe was recognised in the report, and the principles of "Solidarity, Equity and Universality" were deemed to be shared by all these systems. A work programme was developed. The EU Health Ministers agreed to take up the discussion again at the meeting to be held in Mahon, Menorca in May.
Interview delayed
Following an EPHA meeting with the Spanish permanent health representative in Brussels in December, the Spanish Health Minister, Celia Villalobos Talero agreed to be interviewed by UPDATE. Unfortunately, this has not been possible in time for publication in this issue. We hope to include the interview in the next issue.
