Brussels, 14 October 2026
On Wednesday and Thursday, EU Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, visits Mexico City to advance EU–Mexico cooperation on health and discuss shared priorities. The mission will provide an opportunity to foster practical cooperation on health and support stronger health systems, innovation and more resilient pharmaceutical supply chains.
Commissioner Várhelyi will today co-chair the first meeting of the inaugural EU–Mexico High-Level Dialogue on Health with Mexico’s Secretary of Health, David Kershenobich. Announced at the EU–Mexico Summit in May 2026, the Dialogue will focus on shared priorities including tackling non-communicable diseases and improving the health of citizens, pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, the need for secure supply chains and innovation for medicines and medical devices, research and innovation, as well as digital health.
The Commissioner will also meet Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Columba Jazmín López Gutiérrez, and Director-General of the National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality, Javier Calderón Elizalde, to discuss cooperation on sanitary and phytosanitary issues. Such engagement is essential to ensure the EU’s high food safety standards are maintained in cooperation with our partners. He will later meet representatives of European pharmaceutical companies and visit Centro Kalan, Mexico’s National Centre for Health and Wellness Cultures.
Tomorrow, Commissioner Várhelyi will deliver a keynote speech at Innovation Week, organised by the Mexican Association of Pharmaceutical Research Industries (AMIIF). He will also visit Mexico’s National Reference Laboratory.
Source – EU Commission