The European Public Health Alliance welcomes and congratulates Ursula von der Leyen for her second mandate as President of the European Commission.
Before passing a vote by MEPs, in a document and a speech to the plenary in Strasbourg, Ursula von der Leyen presented political guidelines that would guide her second term. The guidelines included a diverse range of priorities important to MEPs across the Parliament, necessary for von der Leyen to win approval from a majority of MEPs, including many beyond her own EPP group.
Prominent themes included defence and security, investment and prosperity, housing and equality, deregulation and small-medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and agriculture and nature.
The guidelines included a section devoted to health that commits to action on prevention, including on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) following the beating cancer plan (which was merely described as a success with no mention of plans to overcome the delays and omissions in its implementation), with a specific reference to cardiovascular disease and mental health. In addition, von der Leyen emphasised the importance of addressing severe shortages of medical devices and medicines through the Critical Medicines Act. She highlighted the goal of ‘completing’ the European Health Union, which involves creating diversified supply chains, ensuring access to the most advanced treatments, building resilient health systems, and maintaining strategic inventories of key medicines, with antimicrobial resistance remaining a priority.
Furthermore, von der Leyen announced unexpected initiatives, not previously mentioned in the future priorities outlined in the Communication from the current Commissioner addressed to her successor, which we thoroughly analysed. These new initiatives include promoting treatments for degenerative illnesses and research on autism, as well as von der Leyen’s commitment to adopting an action plan on cybersecurity in healthcare, aiming to launch this within the first 100 days of the next Commission.
There was also a short section under defence on a new ambition on crisis and security preparedness, including building upon HERA for a strategy on medical counter measures against public health threats.
But the most significant parts of the political guidelines for public health were in areas outside healthcare. They included a commitment to adopt an action plan on implementation of the social pillar, as well as commitment to a significant increase on finance for a just transition, and the strengthening of child guarantee, including though health. There was also strong multiple actions on affordable housing. All in all these priorities would act on the social determinants of health and provide real public health benefits if they are successfully enacted.
Von der Leyen has also promised to increase her Commission’s work on equity and will appoint a Commissioner with specific remit on equality.
The guidelines however also include some priorities that may be less than health promoting, notably on food and agriculture. Here, von der Leyen has continued her approach to the sector she began with her strategic dialogue on agriculture. Entirely missing from this section is any reference to health, or to food and poor diets’ contribution to ill health. Also notably absent were any mention of tobacco or alcohol control measures.
There is also a noticeable switch from the “Green Deal” in her previous Presidency to a “Clean Industrial Deal” for her second period. How clean this initiative turns out to be remains unclear And although there was a strong inclusion of measures on adaptation to climate change these were very much focussed on extreme weather events rather than on the chronic health burden from climate change overall. Moreover, another surprising omission in the guidelines, given their general focus on security and defence overall, is a reference to anti microbial resistance within a health security perspective.
Whoever is nominated in the Commission with responsibility for health will need to give specific commitments to address gaps in these priorities during their confirmation. Particularly important will be commitments for action on the health impacts of climate change, as well as preventive action against the health determinants of tobacco, alcohol and poor diets.
As always, the European Public Health Alliance stands ready to bring the voice of people in support of evidence-based EU policy making that will secure an equal health for all – people and planet alike.
