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15.07.2020

Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic: Informal Meeting of EU Health Ministers

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Minister of Health Jens Spahn convenes the Informal Meeting of Health Ministers on 16 July. The video conference is also being attended in person by the representatives of the Trio Presidency partners: the Portuguese Minister of Health Marta Temido and the Slovenian Minister of Health Tomaž Gantar.

At this meeting, the health ministers will be discussing the lessons to be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the Federal Ministry of Health wishes to discuss ways to strengthen the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and guarantee the supply of medicinal products. They will also provide an outlook on the digital agenda, focussing on the creation of an EU Health Data Space.

Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn:

This crisis has made us realise once again that, as Europeans, we must stand shoulder to shoulder to ward off threats. That we must be better prepared to keep ourselves safe. This is why we want to develop structures that make Europe more autonomous in the manufacture of essential medicinal products. We will be discussing how to build Europe’s Robert Koch Institute – the ECDC – into a disease prevention and control authority of international standing. And, by creating a common Health Data Space, we want to provide better opportunities for research in Europe. By joining forces, we will be able to strengthen Europe’s resilience.

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