During the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (4-7 October 2021), MEPs debate on the EU Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority to ensure a coordinated EU approach for future health crisis and the role of the European Parliament. Opening statements by Gašper DOVŽAN, Slovenian State Secretary of Foreign Affairs and by Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. This transcription speech is the result of an automatic process. Check against delivery.

statement

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

healthcare safety (T)

KYRIAKIDES, Stella (CY, EC)

Coronavirus outbreak (T)

DOVŽAN, Gašper (SI)

EU Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority: opening statements by Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and by Gašper DOVŽAN, Slovenian State Secretary of Foreign Affairs

SOUNDBITE (English), Ga&scaron;per DOVŽAN, Slovenian State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Ladies and gentlemen, President, honourable members. Although there is much we can be proud of in the European Union's response to the COVID 19 crisis, we must not ignore the fact that we, like the rest of the world, we're not sufficiently prepared and we cannot let this happen in the future, and we need to take a more proactive approach to protect our citizens.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gašper DOVŽAN, Slovenian State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, The scale of the health emergency provoked by the pandemic highlighted the need for greater cooperation amongst countries. The common EU vaccine strategy and the digital green certificates are good examples of this successful cooperation at union level.

paragraph-3 Drawing lessons from the current pandemic. The European Union engaged in a process to reinforce its resilience to future cross-border health threats, and we are convinced that this was the right decision. And as Presidency, we included strengthening the resilience of the European Union as one of our main priorities.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gašper DOVŽAN, Slovenian State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, In the area of health, Slovenian presidency has been focussing on building a European Health Union. Together with the European Parliament, we have been working constructively on the first blocks of this Union. We have started the negotiations on strengthening the mandate of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and have progressed quite well in negotiations on European Medicines Agency.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gašper DOVŽAN, Slovenian State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, We hope to engage soon in negotiations on the proposal regarding serious cross-border threats to health. We count on constructive cooperation of the European Parliament so that we can conclude negotiations as soon as possible and move to the implementation of the legislation. Stronger operational agencies and more robust cooperation framework to face health threats are essential.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gašper DOVŽAN, Slovenian State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, The latest proposal from the commission providing for European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority constitutes an important addition to the European Health Union. HERA can strengthen health security coordination within the EU, address strategic dependencies and bolster the global health dimension.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gašper DOVŽAN, Slovenian State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, The presidency shares the ambition as regards the wide tasks of HERA, including threat assessment, the intelligence gathering, addressing market challenges, taking emergency measures on procurement, manufacturing and purchasing of medical countermeasures, leveraging research and innovation plans and distributing emergency funding.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gašper DOVŽAN, Slovenian State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, The commission has decided to establish HERA as an internal service, which enables it to be operational immediately while benefiting from regulatory, technical and organisational tools of the Commission. So far, the council has not discussed this aspect.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gašper DOVŽAN, Slovenian State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, At the same time, the council has just started the examination of the related proposal on a framework of measures for ensuring the supply of crisis relevant medicinal countermeasures in the event of a public health emergency at a union level.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gašper DOVŽAN, Slovenian State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, We need some time to analyse it thoroughly. And before I conclude, let me reiterate that the presidency is fully committed. To the common goal of improving the union's preparedness for future crises, and we will make our best to bring the related work forward. Thank you very much for your attention.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, Chair, honourable members. I'm pleased for the opportunity to be in plenary today to discuss HERA after the debate last Monday in the Envy Committee, as this really provides for another opportunity to explain, to clarify and to build together with you a path forward.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, I want to begin today by underlining two points which make HERA stand apart. First and foremost, it's urgency. HERA is needed now to close the gaps in our preparedness, our anticipation and our responses to health crisis. For this current health crisis, but also for future ones.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, Secondly. The fact that HERA will only succeed if it drives a consensus on health preparedness at all levels across the EU, and it is absolutely clear that the European Parliament must be part of this. Our close cooperation throughout the COVID 19 emergency and on the European Health Union proposals has been pivotal and central to our successful response to the worst public health crisis in memory.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, Last Monday, I appeared before the Envy Committee. To explain that HERA is not a typical commission structure. It is our shared resource between European institutions and member states. It is the place where the necessary coordination between national actions and EU actions will be brought together.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, It is the place for fast operational decisions for foresight, anticipation and the coordination of preparedness and response. And to achieve this, we need an innovative setup. Our traditional tools would not be able to meet the expectations of European citizens.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, The Parliament will be integrally involved in both preparedness and crisis times through its participation in both the HERA board and the Health Crisis Board. It is unprecedented that the European Parliament is directly involved with an internal commission structure.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, The European Parliament representatives will have full access to all the information exchanged and will help to shape the preparation and implementation of HERA actions. Heroes budget, of course, will be subject to the scrutiny of the European Parliament as the budgetary authority.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, But we need to make sure that the voice of the parliament is heard early this process as well. And with all this in mind, I can only repeat that saying that the parliament has been excluded is difficult to understand if one takes all the above into account.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, I have heard the voices of those saying that the health union proposal should be held back, should be delayed and should be amended to achieve a different governance structure for HERA. Honourable members, our citizens have seen throughout this crisis the very responsible and citizen focussed stance taken, and this is what they expect now.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, I have listened to you carefully, and I continue to listen carefully. And I believe we all agree on heroes. objectives and ambition. I believe we all agree that this pandemic is still with us and we have no time to lose. The health union proposals must move forward quickly and as soon as possible.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, Holding them back or holding HERA back will have a significant impact on what all of us have been trying to build together, and in fact, we are all accountable to European citizens that expect a stronger Europe in the area of health and the stronger Europe in dealing with health crises.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, I'm proud to say that HERA started its work last Friday officially and will be fully up and running by the start of early next year. A small team is already in place and the first meeting of the HERA board took place last Friday. I very much look forward to the appointment of the European Parliament's representative on the board.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, Now, I wish to take the opportunity to clarify one critical element here. Our proposal for a regulation on a framework of measures to be triggered by a health crisis is separate from the set up and governance of HERA with the COVID 19 pandemic. We have had to invent new instruments and to set up ad hoc solutions.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, We have tried to identify what could have made our response to COVID 19 more efficient. It's key to think about this in advance. Every minute counts in a situation like the pandemic without crisis mode proposal. Our goal is to make mobilisation, extra tools and resources easier and more automatic.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, The legal base for a Council regulation was chosen after careful legal assessment, and there was no other viable option to mobilise emergency funding. I fully understand that the parliament sees the need to review what has been proposed, and this is why we include a review clause both for HERA and for the draft Council regulation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, But to be able to review something, we need first to give it a chance and see it operate. I am fully committed to involve Parliament closely in this review process and its outcomes. Honourable members. HERA is our common response to a crisis, and the crisis has shown what we need to do better for our citizens, and the health union proposals are the foundation for HERA.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, Delaying them will only impact on our efforts to work more closely together and to exit this pandemic. And set it up here as soon as possible stems from one conviction and the conviction I believe you share with us.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES ,  European Commissioner for Health, Namely, that we must waste no time in responding to the ongoing threat of Covid 19 and other emerging public health threats. We simply must make this investment in our citizens health without delay. And I count on your support for that. Thank you.