During the plenary session, MEPs debate and cast their final vote on the €5.1 billion EU4Health programme for 2021-2027. The programme aims to make EU health systems more resilient, address cross-border health threats and make medicines and medical devices more available, accessible and affordable. Statements by Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Jytte GUTELAND (S&D, SE), Luisa REGIMENTI (ID, IT), Joanna Maria KOPCIŃSKA (ECR, PL), Frédérique RIES (Renew, BE), Marc BOTENGA (The Left, BE) and Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO), Rapporteur.

EU4Health Programme: extracts from the debate and the vote and statement by Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO)

Title: EU4Health Programme: extracts from the debate and the vote and statement by Cristian-Silviu BU&#350;OI (EPP, RO)

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, The Commission adopted in November last year a package to build a stronger European Health Union. This package includes an updated regulation on serious cross-border health threats and proposals to reinforce our two key agencies, ECDC and EMA the European Medicines Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. This package is under discussion with the member states as well as in the ENVI Committee and we need to do all we can to ensure that these proposals become a reality.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stella KYRIAKIDES, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, We are already ready to roll up the first actions under the "HERA-Incubator", which will be supporting the production and delivery of adapted or novel COVID-19 vaccines. We know that speed is of essence and we have to urgently anticipate and respond to the growing threat of coronavirus variants.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jytte GUTELAND (S&amp;D, SE), We in the S&amp;D group, we share their ambition and we welcome this historically strong and comprehensive health strategy. Given the current health crisis and the enormous challenge that our member states and we as a union is facing with the adoption of the EU for health programme, which is ten times bigger than the previous health programmes. Europe is sending a clear signal that we are doing everything in our power to increase the protection of the health of the citizens.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Luisa REGIMENTI (ID, IT), Thanks to the strong position taken by the Parliament, we were successful in increasing the funding to a more substantial figure of 5.1 billion euros. At least 20 percent of the budget is being spent on prevention and promotion of health. That is a way of also progressing digitalisation in the health sector and preparing for any future pandemics.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Joanna Maria KOPCI&#323;SKA (ECR, PL), The programme also is aimed at sustainable development and stopping early deaths and infectious diseases or reducing that significantly by 2030. A billion euros is being used to support member states and their patients to that effect.

SOUNDBITE (French), Fr&#233;d&#233;rique RIES (Renew, BE), Twenty percent of the budget will be allocated to prevention of disease and promoting health. Particularly smoking, alcohol dependency, and other issues rather than tackling through prohibition, and a European stock of essential products for crises, medicines, equipment, devices. What we didn't have last year, in other words, twelve point five percent of the budget 630 seven million euro allocated to this this crisis.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Marc BOTENGA (The Left, BE), We want to promote health and the other policy areas where we are worsening health. If you look, for example, at our health care systems, they have been weakened and that made the pandemic worse. I'm thinking of the way in which the labour market has been made more flexible. People are overworked and called upon to be ever more flexible and then they fall ill. And this has a negative impact on our living conditions. So this needs to be revised.

SOUNDBITE (English), Cristian-Silviu BU&#350;OI (EPP, RO), We suceeeded to have an appropriate budget, 5.1 billion euros. If we compare to the first initiative, the first intention which was more than 9 billion of course it's less. But if we compare with 1.7, which was at some moment the figure decided by the heads of states and governments, 5.1, it's a huge increase. It's 12 times more than the previous health programmes and of course it will be an appropriate funding for the initiatives and objectives that I mentioned.

SOUNDBITE (English), Cristian-Silviu BU&#350;OI (EPP, RO), European reference network are excellent centres for rare disease, where patients from different member states can be treated abroad under the regulation and the directive and this will help a lot the patients. This EU4Health Programme will provide additional funding to this excellent network.

Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO) (1 shot)

EU4Health Programme: extracts from the debate and the vote and statement by Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO)

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EU4Health Programme: extracts from the debate and the vote and statement by Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO)

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