Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (Health), 21 June 2024

Main results

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 vaccine-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
• A call for action at the EU level to protect young people from harm caused by novel tobacco and nicotine products – Information from the Latvian delegation on behalf of the Cyprus, Estonian, Finnish, Irish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Luxembourg, Maltese, Netherlands, Portuguese, Slovenian and Spanish delegations
• 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.