Hungary brushes off ministerial no-shows at EU Council health summit

Authorities well being officers gathered in Budapest this morning (25 July) to debate EU motion on coronary heart illness and implementation of latest guidelines on sharing and entry to medical information, with Hungary claiming progress regardless of an ongoing diplomatic chill that noticed solely a handful of nations ship ministers to the casual summit.

Orazio Schillaci from Italy, Bulgaria’s Galya Kondeva-Mankova and Maltese lawmaker Jo Etienne Abela have been the one absolutely fledged ministers on the attendee checklist. Czechia and Greece despatched deputy ministers; some eight others – together with Germany and neighbour Slovakia – despatched delegates of state secretary or comparable rank.

Hungarian well being minister Péter Takács disregarded recommendations that the shortage of senior authorities officers mirrored a backlash towards Hungary’s conduct within the first weeks of its six-month flip as chair of inter-governmental legislative debates, with premier Viktor Orbán having drawn fireplace for utilizing the EU Council presidency as a launchpad for a self-styled ‘peace mission’ to Moscow and Beijing.

“I imagine that given it’s the summer season season these are not at all dangerous numbers,” Takács informed reporters after chairing a primary spherical of talks. He harassed that casual ministerial summits have been coverage boards the place delegates share opinions “primarily based on info and never ideology”. Such conferences have been “an island of peace in European politics and, I hope, will stay so”, he mentioned.

Nonetheless, the selection of delegate from some member states was tough to interpret aside from as a diplomatic rebuke: Austria despatched its resident ambassador, Denmark an EU affairs specialist, Belgium an attaché from its EU consultant workplace in Brussels, and France the deputy head of a delegation on European and worldwide affairs.

Motion on coronary heart illness

On the substance of the talks, the Hungarian minister mentioned there had been broad settlement amongst delegates on the necessity for concerted motion on heart problems, and the significance of prevention and selling well being literacy. Concepts put ahead in the course of the dialogue could be channelled into Council conclusions at a proper ministerial summit in December, he mentioned.

“We’re assured that we are going to collectively undertake an motion plan as profitable because the one on most cancers that was agreed [during the presidencies of] Sweden, France and Czechia,” Takács mentioned.

Sharing well being information

Relating to implementation of the lately agreed regulation for a European Well being Information House (EHDS), the minister mentioned Hungary was floating the thought of organising a joint platform the place information could possibly be shared in a “structured type” for subsequent use in analysis and coverage planning.

“I imagine this could possibly be a superb pilot challenge the place we are able to take a look at in actual time what the system is able to,” he mentioned. “Good selections can solely be primarily based on good information – I’m satisfied of this.”

Organ donation plan

Discussions have been on account of transfer onto the subject of organ donation in a day session, mentioned Takács, who earlier within the week had outlined probably controversial plans to spice up availability by implementing a common ‘opt-out’ system.

“Organ donation not solely saves lives, however can be the best intervention within the remedy of sure persistent illnesses,” Takács mentioned.

“The success of the EU organ donation and transplantation motion plan between 2009 and 2015, which noticed a 21% enhance in organ donation, reveals that cooperation is essential, and {that a} new motion plan is required,” he mentioned.