Expanding the count of European Union citizens within the EU is another proposal by the Commission.
In her first State of the EU address, President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to establish a European Health Union (EHU), aimed at addressing the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and enhancing the EU's capacity to respond to health emergencies [1].
At the heart of the EHU is a focus on rapid intervention during crises, digital solutions for health systems, and cross-border health threats. To achieve this, von der Leyen intends to create strategic stockpiles to address shortages in supply chains, particularly for pharmaceutical products [2].
Moreover, von der Leyen plans to host a global health summit under the Italian G20 presidency next year to discuss health competencies and draw global lessons from the crisis [3]. She also wants to establish an agency for advanced biomedical research and development to innovate treatments and prepare for future pandemics [4].
Von der Leyen emphasizes the need for the EU to react more swiftly and with sufficient financial power during crises. To this end, she proposes a special financial mechanism with a reserve of up to €400 billion in loans to be deployed in case of an "unknown crisis," reflecting lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic [1].
The EHU will also work towards ensuring fair and equitable access to health technologies across all EU member states [5]. To support this, von der Leyen proposes to future-proof and increase funding for the EU4Health program [6].
While specific detailed proposals on the roles of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and the new advanced biomedical research agency were not explicitly outlined in the most recent budget-related search results, it is reasonable to infer that these agencies will receive increased mandates and resources to enact the European Health Union goals under von der Leyen’s leadership [1][5].
Von der Leyen's past proposals and public statements suggest that EMA's role may involve coordinating faster authorization of medicines and vaccines during crises, while ECDC's role could be boosted to include enhanced disease surveillance and response capabilities at the EU level [7]. The advanced biomedical research agency is expected to focus on cutting-edge research to innovate treatments and prepare for future pandemics [4].
European health systems and healthcare personnel have achieved miracles during the past six months, and von der Leyen's proposals aim to build upon this success, creating a stronger, more resilient European Health Union.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-commission-proposes-400-billion-crisis-fund-2021-09-15/ [2] https://www.politico.eu/article/ursula-von-der-leyen-state-of-the-union-speech-2021-live-blog/ [3] https://www.politico.eu/article/ursula-von-der-leyen-state-of-the-union-speech-2021-live-blog/ [4] https://www.politico.eu/article/ursula-von-der-leyen-state-of-the-union-speech-2021-live-blog/ [5] https://www.politico.eu/article/ursula-von-der-leyen-state-of-the-union-speech-2021-live-blog/ [6] https://www.politico.eu/article/ursula-von-der-leyen-state-of-the-union-speech-2021-live-blog/ [7] https://www.politico.eu/article/ursula-von-der-leyen-state-of-the-union-speech-2021-live-blog/
- The European Health Union (EHU), as announced by President Ursula von der Leyen, will focus on enhancing mental health, including therapies and treatments, as part of its comprehensive health strategy.
- In line with the EHU's focus on digital solutions, policy and legislation regarding the use of technology in health-and-wellness sectors are expected to be addressed and possibly updated to support rapid response during crises.
- The science underlying the EHU's goals, particularly in the area of advanced biomedical research and development, will be closely tied to politics, as global competition and cooperation in health competencies become a more prominent aspect of general news.
- The EHU's plans for fair and equitable access to health technologies may intersect with political debates, as policy-and-legislation battles ensue over the appropriate allocation and standardization of resources across EU member states.
