Dear Mr Speaker,
In anticipation of your potential participation at the critical EU Health Policy Platform webinar regarding the
COVID-19 health response package scheduled for 29
th
October (link
to program),
may we refer to our letter
of 12
th
O to er 2020 to the Europea Parlia e t s E iro e t a d Pu li Health Co
ittee ENVI o
this topic (attachment 1). Both the President of the European Parliament Mr David Sassoli and the
President of the ENVI Committee Mr Pascal Canfin responded in writing, welcomed the letter, explained
current understandings and prioritized actions
–
but avoided a direct response to the critical issue of the
absence of EU-level top preparedness for any next pandemic (a new viral attack or indeed, as 30 MEPs
recently suggested, a far worse Antimicrobial Resistance outbreak).
In his visionary
article
in The Guardian of 18
th
March 2018
Dr Jonathan Quick (Harvard Medical School,
Chair of the Global Health Council, author of The End of Epidemics)
forecasted the causes of a next
pandemic. The first missing element: centralised political leadership. In EU terms only EU
Heads of State
and Government represent that, together with a strong dedicated structure, its own funding and an explicit
mandate to act. Instead of
ore rea ti e a d ureau rati propositio s there is a eed for a joi t for ard
defe e approa h as ser ed NATO for de ades.
In detail: there is no early and explicit warning system as
was promoted already after the SARS outbreak; there is no central gathering and interpreting of reliable
data as in the AMR case; there is no mandate to develop a common strategy and to act with an
independent budget and staff on this strategy. Hence the proposal to transform the current Europe Health
Security Committee (2013) into a Heads of State and Government body with its own Science and Civil
Society Council and its own budget and staff (attachment 2). Of course, full coordination with all relevant
new and existing bodies must be secured.
But even such a body will fail if the EU Member States continue to
strategically depend on the production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and drugs of non-
European manufacturers.
To end such strategic dependence, the European Commission has turned to its Pharmaceutical Committee.
However, during its session on 21
st
October,
the Co
ittee o lo ger referred to depe de e i ter s of
produ tio , ut rather to vul era ility of the supply hai
. This may not end but increase strategic
dependence. It cannot be overlooked what happened particularly in India as a consequence of being
Europe s heap sour e of APIs: dire e iro e tal degradatio , huge pu li health da age a d i deed the
death of 58,000 newborns per year in India alone (attachment 3: new PAI Report; attachments 4 and 5:
letters of 2006 and 2007). Besides, the EU cannot develop new rules banning the import of products
manufactured below EU standards and continue the import of such products just because they are
pharmaceutical. The answer may be in public-private partnerships with European API and antibiotics
producers.
May we express the hope that you will call on DG SANTE to assist the upcoming European Council meetings
on the subject with developments in the above direction.
Yours sincerely,
Prof. Mark Eyskens
Chairman
Former Prime Minister of
Belgium
RNDr. Pavel Poc
Vice Chairman
Former Member of the
European Parliament,
former Vice-Chair of ENVI
Rio Praaning Prawira Adiningrat
Secretary General
Attachments: