Ministers of Health from all EU Member States met on Friday to assess the progress that was achieved in healthcare during the Czech Presidency.

In terms of legislative proposals, there was a discussion on the Regulation on the European Health Data Space (EHDS) and the Draft Regulation on substances of human origin (SoHO). The Presidency submitted progress reports for these items.

The EPSCO Council adopted a revision to the Council Recommendation on Cancer Screening, which we see as a very important step towards the timely detection of cancer and as a form of prevention. It is significant that one of the priorities of the Presidency is an increase in the availability of oncological care for all patients across the EU.

The Council Conclusions on Vaccination as one of the most effective tools for preventing diseases and improving public health were also approved. The Conclusions focus primarily on the fight against vaccine hesitancy. They also called for the appointment of an expert EU forum as a tool for dealing with the issue.

"Improving cancer care was one of the main healthcare priorities of the Czech Presidency. The aim is that across the EU there are no differences in the quality of care. Another partial step by the Presidency and the European Commission was, not only during our Presidency, to win back the trust of European citizens in vaccination as the main tool of prevention against a whole number of illnesses. I’m really pleased that all our priorities were based on our national expertise and that we ourselves can be a flagship on these topics," said Minister of Health Vlastimil Válek.

During the EPSCO meeting, there was a debate about the future of the purchase of vaccines against COVID-19. The Member States agreed on the need for material changes in the manufacturers’ approach to the problems that everybody in the EU is facing, i.e., primarily a surplus of such vaccines. The public discussion of this point contributed to more information reaching both EU citizens and manufacturers. In this item, the Presidency followed on from its continual work and attempts to deal with the situation when, for example, in September it provided space at the Informal meeting of Health Ministers in Prague for the European Commission to organise a HERA meeting at the ministerial level in the presence of representatives from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.

"The Czech Presidency has taken these debates to the level of health ministers and at the same time created a top platform for the clear formulation of the demands being made by Member States on suppliers of COVID-19 vaccines. Despite a number of successes and changes which have been negotiated, Pfizer/BioNTech still insists on supplying surplus vaccines. This is unacceptable from the point of view of the Czech Presidency and Member States and we will continue to press for rationalisation of the conditions. We are certain that together we will be able to achieve an amendment to the existing contract with Pfizer/BioNTech, which forces Member States to take delivery of vaccines destined for disposal," explained Vlastimil Válek, Minister of Health.

The European Commission presented the Statement “EU Strategy for Global Health: Better Health for All in a Changing World” and also the Report on the state of preparedness that summarises the progress made by the EU. It is primarily based on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last but not least, the Presidency reported on the following events, which it had arranged:

• An oncology conference entitled “Modern Cancer Control: Saving Lives through Smart Solutions”
• A conference on the availability of treatment for rare diseases: “Towards a New European Policy Framework: Building the Future Together for Rare Diseases”
• A conference on vaccination: “Vaccination: Building Public Trust as a Pathway to Vaccine Acceptance”