On 12 July 2016, the Minister for Health, Tomáš Drucker, took a hiring to the members of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) of the European Parliament.
The Minister presented the priorities of the Slovak Health Presidency in Brussels, stressing that the Presidency of the Slovak Republic is taking place at a time when the European Union faces many challenges and needs to communicate with each other very clearly the many benefits it brings to all EU citizens. Members of the European Parliament consider the priorities and approach of the Slovak Presidency in the field of health to be pragmatic, and on their issues were dominated mainly by topics related to the availability of medicines in EU countries, but also by the decline in the use of antibiotics in both human and animal medicine, and by the treatment of non-communicable diseases related to ageing. They were also interested in issues related to the tobacco directive and food reformation.
With regard to health priorities, Minister Tomáš Drucker noted that the Slovak Republic will follow up on the activities of the Dutch Presidency and Tria partners, particularly regarding the lack of availability of medicines, as this topic becomes topical throughout Europe. Another topical issue will be antimicrobial resistance, which is a threat to global, regional and national health security. The Slovak Presidency will continue the debate on cooperation in the fight against tuberculosis, which is an increasing threat to globalisation. The goal of the Slovak Presidency will also be a joint reflection on the solutions to this problem in the High Level Group on Public Health, which will prepare the basis for the discussion of the informal Council of Health Ministers on 3 and 4 October 2016 in Bratislava. vaccination is an effective tool in the fight against excessive consumption of antibiotics and increasing resistance to these medicines. Therefore, also taking into account the current trend of anti-vaccination campaigns, we decided to open this topic on the informal Health Council in Bratislava in October, Minister Drucker approached the ambitions of the Slovak Presidency. Another topical issue will be the ever-increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in Europe, which has already reached epidemic levels. This is also why it is necessary to call for the reduction of excessive energy intake, saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, sugar and salt in food. The Commission and the EU Member States have already identified the most important areas associated with nutrition and lifestyles, which need to be discussed. informed Health Minister Tomáš Drucker. This is also why the Slovak Presidency will seek solutions to strengthen best practices, including effective national initiatives aimed at healthy lifestyles and thus at reducing the incidence of non-communicable diseases. These are the ones that make a significant contribution to deaths in Europe (86%), which is why they are a major challenge for all health systems. The ambition of the Slovak Presidency is to strengthen objectives and activities in the field of chronic non-infectious diseases and to look for ways to reduce risk factors. stressed Minister Tomáš Drucker.
Given that healthy eating is a priority for EU Member States, food reformation is the most effective way to reduce risk factors such as saturated fats, sugars and salt in food. The Slovak Presidency will also focus on the exchange of effective practices in the Member States in the field of food improvement, stressed Minister Drucker in Brussels. The Slovak Presidency also intends to organise expert conferences. Given that, according to the World Health Organisation, almost 35% of the European population suffer from brain disorders, Alzheimer's disease and addressing the scientific, health and social aspects of dementia will also be one of the topics.
During its visit to Brussels, the Minister of Health confirmed an interest in addressing all major issues, including the availability of innovative, quality, safe and affordable medicines.