EU Ministers of Health expressed their full support for the EU Global Health Strategy

EU Ministers of Health held an exchange of views on the EU global health strategy which was presented by the Commission on 30 November 2022. The strategy puts global health forward as an essential pillar of EU external policy and, as such, identifies it as a critical geopolitical area.

Many ministers recognised that the strategy is an important element of the EU’s response to current and future global health challenges such as COVID-19, antimicrobial resistance and the health and humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.

Furthermore, the European Commission informed Health Ministers about the negotiations for an international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Post COVID-19 condition (“long Covid”) was also on the agenda; on this note, the Netherlands delegation stressed the importance of coordination and collaboration  and called on member states to contribute to a planned EU network of expertise on post COVID-19.