Main results of the EU Health Council, 21 June 2024

Luxembourg, 21 June 2024

European Health Union

The Council approved conclusions entitled The Future of the European Health Union: a Europe that cares, prepares and protects, in which it set out key areas of focus for EU health policy and encouraged the incoming Commission to keep health as a priority.

European health systems are set to face ten difficult years, with the growing needs of an ageing population, rising chronic diseases, shortages of medicines and medical devices, and retiring health workers straining our resources. The climate crisis and the rise of artificial intelligence further complicate the situation. To manage these challenges, Europe must step up. Over the past half year, EU health ministers have outlined an ambitious programme, aiming to reshape the European Health Union and ensure resilient, high-quality healthcare in all member states.

^{Frank Vandenbroucke, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Social Affairs}

• European Health Union: Council calls on Commission to keep health as a priority (press release, 21 June 2024)
• The Future of the European Health Union: a Europe that cares, prepares and protects (Council conclusions)

Pharmaceutical package

Ministers held a policy debate on the incentives system in the pharmaceutical package, a regulation and directive proposed by the Commission in April 2023. They discussed ways forward on the modulation of regulatory data protection periods, the market access incentive, and the unmet medical needs incentive. The Belgian presidency also updated ministers on the broader state of play of the package.

During the discussion:

• most ministers expressed support for modulation, provided the framework was clear, predictable and respected the need for innovation, while a notable minority supported the current framework
• several ministers stressed that access should not be linked to pricing and reimbursement, taking into account differences between national systems
• all ministers agreed that a solution was needed for access, yet there were mixed views on how this should be achieved, with some expressing support for an approach that incentivised companies to facilitate access, while others preferred to impose an obligation on companies
• ministers expressed support for an unmet medical need (UMN) incentive, but felt that the definition and criteria of this incentive should be further discussed, specifically regarding achieving legal certainty and objectivity in its application

• Pharmaceutical package: policy debate
• Pharmaceutical package: progress report
• Watch the public session 

Vaccine-preventable cancers

The Council adopted a recommendation setting out new measures on vaccine-preventable cancers, as part of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. The recommendation aims to encourage the uptake and monitoring of vaccinations against human papillomaviruses (HPV) and Hepatitis B virus (HBV), both of which can cause cancer. It proposes measures to help member states increase vaccination against non-preventable diseases.

• Council adopts recommendation to help combat vaccine-preventable cancers (press release, 20 June 2024)
• Council Recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers
• EU health policy (background information)

Other business

Under other business, EU health ministers received information on the 10th Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the pandemic agreement, the marketing of tobacco and nicotine to children, novel tobacco and nicotine products, the health situation in Gaza, national stockpiling of medicines, efforts to end HIV/AIDS, events organised by the Belgian presidency, and the work programme of the upcoming Hungarian presidency.

• WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control COP 10, Panama, 5-10 February 2024 – information from the presidency and the Commission
• Negotiations for an international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response – information from the presidency and the Commission
• Strengthening efforts to protect children from direct marketing and sale of tobacco and nicotine products, especially on digital platforms – information from the Danish delegation on behalf of the Danish, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Irish, Luxembourg, Maltese, Netherlands, Polish, Slovenian and Spanish delegations
• Health crisis in the strip of Gaza: state of play and call for action – information from the Spanish delegation on behalf of the Irish, Luxembourg, Maltese, Slovenian and Spanish delegations
• A call for action at the EU and national level to prioritise efforts and investment towards ending HIV epidemic in Europe until 2030, ensuring the implementation of appropriate political actions in the next crucial 6 years to come – information from the Romanian, Polish and Spanish delegations
• Presidency events – information from the presidency

Informal lunch debate

Over lunch, ministers took part in an informal debate on equitable access to healthcare in EU member states.

Preparatory documents

• Provisional agenda
• Provisional list of A items, non-legislative activities
• List of A items, non-legislative activities
• Background brief

Outcome documents

• List of participants

Press releases

• Council adopts recommendation to help combat vaccine-preventable cancers

• Strengthening representation of EU workers in multinational companies: Council agrees its position on the European works council directive

• European Health Union: Council calls on Commission to keep health as a priority

European Health Union: Council calls on Commission to keep health as a priority

The Council is calling on the European Commission to keep health as a priority in its upcoming five-year term. In conclusions approved today, member states acknowledge the work already carried out to improve health policy coordination at EU level, highlight the ongoing challenges facing the EU’s health system, and set out the key areas of focus for strengthening the European Health Union.

European health systems are set to face ten difficult years, with the growing needs of an ageing population, rising chronic diseases, shortages of medicines and medical devices, and retiring health workers straining our resources. The climate crisis and the rise of artificial intelligence further complicate the situation. To manage these challenges, Europe must step up. Over the past half year, EU health ministers have outlined an ambitious programme, aiming to reshape the European Health Union and ensure resilient, high-quality healthcare in all member states.

^{Frank Vandenbroucke, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Social Affairs}

Tacking ongoing challenges

In its conclusions, the Council notes that the EU’s health system faces significant challenges. These include health workforce shortages, which member states and the Commission are encouraged to address through investment, digital tools, knowledge sharing, cooperation at EU level and adapted regulatory frameworks.

Another key challenge is improving the security of supply of medicines and medical devices. The Council calls on member states and the Commission to continue work on mitigating shortages of critical medicines, including via the Critical Medicines Alliance, and invites the Commission to consider proposing a critical medicines act, which would provide a legal framework for addressing supply-chain vulnerabilities.

Addressing priority needs

The Council notes that priority needs in healthcare should be addressed.  Setting up an independent, needs-evidenced database can help to identify unmet health-related patient and societal needs. As next steps, the establishment of a voluntary, member-state driven mechanism for evaluating and prioritising such needs and the EU level coordination of public support to address the most pressing health-related unmet needs could be considered.

The Council also calls on member states and the Commission to strengthen action in priority areas by improving the EU’s implementation tools, including EU4Health, and developing new ones such as an EU health investment hub.

Disease prevention

The Council’s conclusions also point to areas where further action needs to be taken. These include prevention of non-communicable diseases, which are responsible for nearly 90% of all deaths in the EU. The Council calls on member states and the Commission to promote healthy lifestyles and environments, including  through adopting the legislative proposals announced under Europe’s Beating Cancer plan and strengthening the work on the ‘Healthier Together’ initiative.

Likewise, action in the area of preparedness and communicable diseases should include keeping cross-border health threats high on the EU’s agenda, strengthening the fight against mis- and disinformation, and improving security of supply of relevant medicines and medical devices.

Background

In a communication published in November 2020, the European Commission announced the establishment of a European Health Union (EHU). The aim of the EHU is to facilitate closer cooperation among member states at EU level on matters relating to health care, including:

• a collective response to health crises at EU level
• available, affordable and innovative medical supplies
• better prevention, treatment and aftercare for diseases such as cancer

• The Future of the European Health Union: a Europe that cares, prepares and protects (Council conclusions)
• EU health policy (background information)

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