Press release
Minister for Mental Health and Older People meets EU Partners in Luxembourg to discuss progress on the Pharmaceutical Package
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler, is today representing Ireland at a meeting of EU Health Ministers in Luxembourg.
This formal meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health, and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council is held under the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union (January to June 2024), with priorities to strengthen the European Health Union, as reflected by the slogan, “a Europe that cares, prepares and protects”.
During the Council meeting, Ministers will exchange views on the progress of the EU Pharmaceutical Package.
Health Ministers will also discuss approval of the ambitious Council Conclusions on the Future of the European Health Union, calling for health to remain high on the EU Agenda, as well as the Council Recommendations on vaccine-preventable cancers.
In relation to the EU Commission’s proposed pharmaceutical package, Minister Butler said:
"Ireland supports incorporating incentives tailored to effectively meet the needs of patients and health services. The EU also needs a data protection period that is predictable for developers to support investment decisions.
"Supporting and enabling safe and effective clinical trials, the commercialisation of innovation, and the scaling of life science companies to enable the development of life-saving products for patients, while also supporting job creation, is a priority for Ireland."
The Belgian Presidency will also update Ministers on the events held during their presidency, negotiations of the international Pandemic Agreement and complementary revisions of the International Health Regulations, and the tenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The Hungarian Minister of Health, Mr Miklós Szócska, will present the work programme of their upcoming presidency (July – December 2024).
Other items for discussion by the delegations will include items on tobacco and nicotine control, health security in Gaza, a call for action on HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), as well as national stockpiling strategies.
The meeting will be followed by a working lunch for Ministers, with an exchange of views on equitable access to healthcare in EU Member States.