Speeches

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, according to new developments in research, science and technology, current European policies on rare diseases are outdated. Despite their low prevalence, rare diseases affect around 30 million Europeans. There are 30 million unmet people with unmet health needs. We therefore need a new European Rare Disease Action Plan. This new action plan should be based on well-designed objectives and targets and follow the latest recommendations. It should bring together national, regional and local policies and initiatives on rare diseases in one framework. It should also take greater advantage of the digital age, from health data to more information, better research, more diagnostic tools and better treatments. A new cross-cutting European Rare Disease Action Plan to make us more competitive in innovation and research, new therapies and technologies, and to respond adequately to current needs, such as the most appropriate early diagnoses and therapies. In line with the recent UN resolution, we need a European strategy that goes beyond the provision of healthcare, that looks at health in its entirety, including social and economic components, and thus responds to the many challenges experienced by those with rare diseases in the European Union. It must be a new action plan that leaves no citizen behind. There are 30 million reasons multiplied by their relatives and caregivers.

Madam President, colleagues, Minister, the European Union has taken a decisive role in the fight against the pandemic, in particular through the vaccination process. But the pandemic is not over yet and it has shown us that the weapons we have will always be insufficient if they do not reach everyone. While in several countries we have already vaccinated with a third dose, there are many who are still waiting for a first one. We cannot accept this inequality. If the moral argument is not enough, let us remember that as long as we are not all protected, no one will be. We therefore need concrete solutions. We need a more ambitious global vaccination strategy that increases our contributions to COVAX, that Member States donate excess vaccines and avoid unnecessary accumulations, and also that the intellectual property rights of vaccines are temporarily lifted so that public health always comes first and, finally, the Pandemic Treaty is implemented.

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, the right to a healthy environment has recently been recognised by the UN Human Rights Council, but here in the European Union we have to do more. This right must be enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The link between the environment and human and animal health has long been recognised from the perspective of a single health for which we have worked so hard to be included transversally in European policies. The influence of the environment on our health is undeniable, whether through local determinants such as air and water quality, as well as exposure to harmful agents, or due to climate change, natural disasters, which particularly affect communities in the most vulnerable territories, such as the outermost regions. Only by holistically protecting our health and our environment will we be able to ensure the survival of our planet and our biodiversity.

Madam President, Commissioner, the pandemic has caused an unprecedented economic and social crisis, strongly affecting the tourism sector, particularly in the regions that depend most on it, such as the Autonomous Region of Madeira, an outermost region. The workers who directly and indirectly contribute to the functioning of this sector have suffered the most. With vaccination reaching around 80% coverage across the European Union and the Digital Certificate in place, there is an urgent need to boost a recovery focused on the digital and green transitions. The recovery of tourism this summer was positive, but not enough to recover what was lost. We therefore need a European tourism strategy and a specific heading in the EU's long-term budget that gives stability and sustainability to the sector and that jobs are safeguarded and the specific challenges of businesses, in particular micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, are overcome.

Madam President, Commissioner, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, the pandemic has led the European Union to embark on an unprecedented effort for a genuine European Union for Health. This includes the creation of HERA – the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, which strengthens our prevention, detection and response capacity. The goals we have all set ourselves can only be achieved if we are all equally involved and committed to achieving them. The Commission cannot therefore exclude the European Parliament from this procedure, because, in addition to the unacceptable legislative precedent, we want to be involved in improving the proposal presented. We need: a genuine agency and not a structure within the Commission; clear governance, of which the European Parliament is an integral part, not as an observer, but as a full member; robust, clearly defined and non-absorbing financing of most of the EU4Health; transparency in its relationship with the private sector; openness in their relationship with patient organisations and their representatives; and closeness to our citizens. The European Parliament cannot simply adopt budgets or wait until 2025 to take stock. After all that has been achieved, we now need to complete the construction of the European Union for health in the same spirit of initial collaboration. Europeans will not accept it any other way.

Mr President, alongside the climate change crisis, our planet is plagued by an unprecedented crisis of biodiversity loss. Now is the time to step up our efforts against this crisis and thus achieve the goals of sustainable development. Biodiversity protection should be mainstreamed in EU foreign policy, including in relations with low- and middle-income countries. Financing and technical assistance should be made available to these countries, avoiding the loss of more biodiversity that affects all. The EU should therefore be an example to the rest of the world. Special attention should also be paid to our outermost regions and overseas territories, which account for around 80% of biodiversity in the European Union and are vulnerable to both human and natural influences. By protecting our nature, our biodiversity, we are also ensuring the best use of our planet's resources and a decent future for generations to come.

Mr President, Mr Vice-President, Minister, science tells us that if we do not act now, we will not be able to limit the increase in the temperature of this planet to the limits of the Paris Agreement. Fit for 55 will ensure the climate transition and the achievement of the objectives of the Climate Law. This transition will be cross-cutting and will affect all sectors. Today, I would like to highlight the transport sector. The legislative proposal on CO2 performance standards for new light-duty vehicles will be key for the decarbonisation of this sector. However, we need more action to ensure that the sector does its part to achieve the 2030 target. We will switch to zero-emission cars, but on the way we must not forget to ensure accessibility for our citizens and for all regions, including the most remote ones such as the outermost regions. Only with everyone on board will we be able to move towards more sustainable mobility.

Mr President, Commissioner, Presidency of the Council, today the European Parliament is taking another step towards protecting the health of Europeans. COVID-19 has shown us many things and the main thing is that micro-organisms know no borders between countries. Coordinated work within and outside the European Union between Member States and international agencies such as the World Health Organisation is therefore urgent. This report is also another step towards reducing social inequalities and ensuring the equitable distribution of medicines, vaccines, medical devices and protective equipment during health crises. This pandemic was also a real test of stress to our health systems. What we want with this legislation is for these tests to be done in a controlled way to identify the flaws and correct them in a timely manner. The key to being prepared for future threats also lies in training health professionals and social services, as well as in strengthening citizens' health literacy, for citizens, so that they better understand the indications of health authorities. We also need robust information systems, from data collection to data analysis and interpretation, making the most of the new digital era to reduce administrative burden and duplication of resources in this very time-consuming process. Strengthening the ECDC, its competence and its rapid risk analysis capacity will result in an increased capacity to mitigate the consequences of future health crises. I want to end by reminding you that health is not just limited to health systems. Health has an impact on all sectors of our society and requires coordinated work among all for health promotion, disease prevention and crisis preparedness. This is achieved only with a true health-in-all-policies and one-health approach.

Madam President, Commissioner, today the European Parliament is taking another step towards making the real European Health Union a reality. I thank the rapporteur, Nicolás, and the whole team for having a strong and resilient mandate from the European Medicines Agency that delivers the response the European Union needs. By defining the list of critical medicines and medical devices we will be better prepared for future health crises. The new European database on the supply of medicines will improve accessibility and prevent disruptions in supply and distribution chains that compromise the health of our citizens. Finally, I would like to stress the importance of a strong focus on clinical trials, which will provide better responses to the real health needs of European citizens.