During the 2019-2024 cycle, the European Union had to face a global health crisis in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic. The organisation did not seem to be prepared for such an unprecedented threat as the European Commission’s initial response was not so well-coordinated, and Member States departed in several directions trying to handle the issue. The slow vaccine delivery did not help the situation either, but through the NextGenerationEU recovery fund, the European Union finally managed to take control. But are we in the clear now, or are there some serious challenges concerning the health systems of Member States?
A challenging cycle
In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Union created the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HERA) in 2021 to have actual pandemic management instead of ad hoc solutions. Through intelligence gathering, HERA prepares for potential health crises while building response capabilities. Designed for two operating modes, HERA works closely with Member States in the preparedness phase and carries out targeted response actions in the crisis phase. The EU4Health programme was also adopted in response to the Covid-19, for the 2021-2027 period with four general objectives: to improve and foster health, protect people, access medicinal products, devices and crisis-relevant products, and strengthen health systems. Even if the initial €5.3 billion budget was reduced to €4.4 billion following the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework, this financial support is exceptional.
Overall, the European Union is defined by the integrated One Health approach which aims at attaining optimal health for people, animals and the ecosystem alike. It relies on the cooperation and collaboration of different sectors and disciplines at regional, national and international level. The State of Health in the European Union is basically and overview which was created to make health system information – expertise and best practices – accessible to everyone who is involved in shaping health policies. One of its four stages is the Health at a Glance report published every two years in cooperation with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since 2010, which assesses the European Union’s progress in health systems. The State of Health includes Country Health Profiles with their strengths and challenges and a Synthesis Report with the most relevant trends. Moreover, health authorities in Member States can request voluntary exchanges with the experts involved to discuss findings.
As for animal welfare, the European Commission proposed improved rules on the transport of animals and a new set of rules on the better welfare and traceability of dogs and cats in 2023. In response to the European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Fur Free Europe’, the European Commission will take a decision by 2026 after the opinion of the European Food Safety Authority and its own assessment on the farming of fur animals and the placing of fur products on the market.
A contentious candidate
On the 17thof September 2024, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a Commissioner for a partly new portfolio, Health and Animal Welfare. Hungarian Olivér Várhelyi was born in 1972 and started his career as a Desk Officer in the Ministry for Industry and Trade in 1996, but he soon moved to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He went on to become Head of the Legal Unit and Head of the Cabinet of the Deputy Head of the State Secretary for Integration in 1998. He worked as Legal counsellor of the Mission of Hungary to the EU between 2001 and 2003. He then served as Head of the Legal Service of the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the EU until 2006. He was Head of Unit in the Directorate-General for Internal Market and Services of the European Commission between 2008 and 2011, while also Head of the European Union Law Department in the Ministry of Justice between 2009 and 2010. He became Deputy Permanent Representative of Hungary to the EU in 2011, then Permanent Representative four years later. He has been Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement since 2019.
The nomination is interesting to say the least, as Olivér Várhelyi is a controversial figure. He has been criticized for how he handled the enlargement portfolio, due to his leadership style, not to mention that he is a loyal supporter of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. His hearing in the European Parliament is decisive, because animal welfare organisations want someone who would actually make a change. According to insider information, Várhelyi did not manage to convince everyone during the first round, but it seems like the second round got him approved.
A needed improvement
Ursula von der Leyen’s mission letter to Olivér Várhelyi clearly focuses on Health, despite having Animal Welfare in the title of the portfolio. Under the guidance of the Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Várhelyi is expected to propose a Critical Medicines Act, and lead the work on a new European Biotech Act while ensuring the implementation of the European Beating Cancer Plan. He will have to step up the work on preventive health, ensure the availability and competitiveness of medical devices, complete the European Health Data Space, and prepare an action plan on the cybersecurity of hospitals. Várhelyi will be responsible for the enforcement of food safety standards, and he is tasked with leading an EU-wide inquiry on the broader impacts of social media on wellbeing too. He is expected to advance the work on the pharmaceuticals reform, evaluate and revise the tobacco legislation, and of course, modernise the rules on animal welfare.
At EU level, health related issues seem to progress. But as healthcare is the primary competence of Member States, the organisation has a narrow range of action when it comes to deteriorating health systems. The shortages of medicines and professionals are apparently a general problem. According to Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, the European Union would need a true European Health Union for national health systems to survive. Maybe someone like Olivér Várhelyi coming from a Member State with a clearly struggling health system would agree with him. If he was not such a close ally of Viktor Orbán.