Elżbieta Bieńkowska (born on 4 February 1964 in Katowice, Poland) became the Minister of Regional Development in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister Donald Tusk between 2007 and 2013 in Poland. She was then appointed a Deputy Prime Minister and carried out her mandate at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development. In 2014 she has been nominated by the Polish government for European Commissioner who has received the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs portfolio by Jean-Claude Juncker. Due to the decision of Juncker, she will be responsible for DG Enterprise which will deal now with medical devices, cosmetics and all pharmaceutical. With regard to this ill-advised pharma move, the President of the European Parliament and the ENVI Committee, 10 Member States, a series of MEPs and a coalition composed of 30 NGOs including EPHA raised serious concerns. EPHA also regrets that the Commissioner-Designates mission letter has no reference to innovation in the pharmaceutical sector, patient safety, or public health.
By Zoltán Massay-Kosubek, EPHA Policy Coordinator for Disease Prevention and Olga Rostkowska, Policy Assistant for Health Systems
– General priorities
When asked about relevant experience for the newly designated role, Bieńkowska pointed out her previous engagements in handling the EU policies on the national level, particularly concerning EU structural funds. Cooperation within sectors of economy, notably transport, construction and the maritime fields reside among the scope of competencies which became the “backbone” of the new Commissioner’s road to the European Cabinets. In line with the echo of the Italian Presidency’s priorities, the Polish candidate calls upon general expansion of job opportunities, though youth unemployment is not explicitly tackled.
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A new dawn for an industry led pharmaceutical portfolio?
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In light of the justifiably fiery debates around the recent drift of the pharmaceutical and medical devices dossiers from Health and Food Safety (‘health’) to the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (‘enterprise’) Directorate Generales in the Commission, several eyes gaze at Bieńkowska while the questions about the portfolio management are being posed.
In her answer to the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), she stated:
“My second priority will be to strengthen the EU’s industrial base. Europe cannot prosper without industry, and must therefore preserve and strengthen its industrial base. My ambition is to work hard towards the Commission’s aspiration of bringing industry’s weight in the EU’s GDP back to 20% by 2020 from less than 16% today…”
With regard the seriousness of that issue Polish NGOs called for changing that ill-advised approach.
As far as innovation and research might be viewed as powerful engines pushing & pulling the growth of medical system, it is the stability of public health framework, patient safety over other objectives and daily management of health national structures which provide a solid foundation for any innovation to be put in place. EPHA appeals to keep in mind that industry, while fed on healthy and stable systems, can sometimes put pursue after innovation and economic factors far beyond any other objectives. We do hope that diplomatic reassurance of “a high level of human safety, environmental and consumer protection” being maintained, despite the current verbal favours for the industry, would be promises visibly and unquestionably translated into the new Commissioner’s actions.
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Pharmaceutical expansion versus sustainable maintenance of health systems
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The topic of pharmaceutical expansion vs. sustainable maintenance of health systems does not occupy much spot in Bieńkowska’s answers to questions posed as a prelude to the public Hearings on the European Parliament’s pages. Sadly, apart from the aspects such as job creation and speeding up the revision of the medical devices directive (to protect public health but also “innovation and competitiveness”), not much is said on this intensely debated subject. Hopefully, the matter would not be left undone and the perspective of a healthy Europe – with access to medicines stimulated by patient centredness – will not come out pale among more cost-driven factors.
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Background information – Pharmaceutical policy in the public interest – EPHA’s main concerns
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The Commission President-elect, Mr Juncker, announced the composition of its college of Commissioners-designate, in which Mr Andriukaitis, former Lithuanian Health Minister was named Commissioner-designated for the new portfolio of Health and Food.
Unfortunately, in his press statement, Mr Juncker also unveiled the transfer of pharma policy from the health portfolio to the enterprise one (now called Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs). Therefore, DG Enterprise will deal now with medical devices, cosmetics and all pharmaceutical.
President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz and the ENVI Committee, 10 Member States, a series of MEPs raised serious concerns. With 30 NGOs, EPHA wrote to President Juncker on this reckless decision.
The shift of EU pharmaceutical policy will put Europe’s security at risk by promoting profit over public health and is in contradiction with how pharmaceutical policy is governed in all 28 EU Member States. With the responsibility for pharmaceutical and medical devices policies removed from Dr Andriukaitis’ portfolio, he will not be able to fulfil his mandate to ensure pandemic preparedness and develop expertise on performance assessments of health systems. This will affect the well-being of more than 500 million people living in Europe.
You can follow Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska on twitter at #Bieńkowska and general developments on the new Commission at #JunckerTeamEU.
In order to observe the hearings taking place on the 2 October 2014 at 1:30 pm CET, please follow: Hearing of Commissioner designate: Elżbieta Bieńkowska.
The official hashtag of the hearings is: #EPHearings2014
Source of the photo © European Commission website
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Check other EPHA profiles of Commissioners-designate at:
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– Vytenis Andriukaitis – European Commissioner-designate for Health and Food Safety
– [Cecilia Malmström » European Commissioner-designate for Trade
->https://epha.org/a/6169]
– Phil Hogan » European Commissioner-designate for Agriculture
– [Marianne Thyssen » European Commissioner-designate for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility
->https://epha.org/a/6170]
– [->6161]
– [->6158]
– [->6178]