EU Presidency – Official: EU health ministers to discuss smoke- and aerosol-free environments in Brussels

European Union health ministers are scheduled to discuss smoke- and aerosol-free environments at a meeting of the council on employment, social policy, health and consumer protection in Brussels on Tuesday, Péter Takács, the state secretary for health, said.

Takács told journalists this key topic was based on the Hungarian law on the protection of non-smokers. He emphasised however that EU recommendation would not trample on the individual freedom of member states, and a ban on smoking in open spaces or on terraces was not on the agenda.

The proposals, he added, would help countries take effective measures to protect non-smokers while also aiding the EU’s plan to combat cancer.

He said cardiovascular diseases, still the top cause of death in the EU, are also high on today’s agenda, adding that emphasis would be placed on prevention, early detection, treatment methods, rehabilitation, and research.

Regarding organ donations and transplants, Takács said the aim was to enhance cooperation between member states.

After the meeting, Takács held a press conference with Olivér Várhelyi, the commissioner for health and animal welfare, and said that the Council had adopted the presidency’s recommendations on smoke- and aerosol-free environments, which further strengthened the protection of non-smokers and contributed to the EU’s goals in the fight against cancer.

The recommendations are not binding, Takács added.

The meeting also touched on connections between the “European health union” and the Draghi report, especially on boosting innovation, competitiveness and health care systems, he said. “Member states welcomed the opportunity to discuss the report … and highlighted the importance of maintaining high-quality patient care and keeping health care systems sustainable while boosting competitiveness,” he said.

Another important topic was the fight against cardiovascular diseases.

“To tackle that challenge, the Hungarian presidency has proposed adopting the Council’s conclusions on improving cardiovascular health, and today’s conclusions have emphasised that European-level measures must be strengthened, especially in prevention, early detection, screening, effective treatment, rehabilitation and research,” he said.

On the matter of organ donations and transplants, the Council conclusions are proposing revisiting an action plan to increase the circle of patients, he said.

Várhelyi said participants had agreed that a modernised, competitive and resilient European health care system was a priority. He also highlighted the importance of the supply chain and the need of further legislation to tackle “vulnerable links” in the chain, especially in the case of priority medicines.

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