Last November, the Commission introduced a package of legislative proposals aiming to build a European Health Union.
Véronique Trillet-Lenoir, MEP of the Renaissance delegation, has been appointed Rapporteur on the regulation on serious cross-border threats to health, a key pillar of this European Health Union. Mrs Trillet-Lenoir is now responsible for drafting the position of the European Parliament on this future health emergency plan.
One of the flagship proposals in her report will be to lay the foundation for an International Treaty on Pandemics.
“The COVID-19 crisis demonstrates that no country can fight a pandemic of this magnitude alone. « Health nationalism », latent in some countries, must be brought to an end by strengthening international cooperation and coordination. The alliance of 27 Member States initiated by the European Commission for vaccine procurement is an exemplary precedent.
Nobody is safe until everyone is safe. Eradicating pandemics requires global coordination and local implementation: we should set common objectives together and then implement them back home, which means for us at the European level” considers the Renew Europe group Deputy Coordinator in the European Parliament Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee.
"For this reason, I fully support the proposal made by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, to draw up an International Treaty on Pandemics to ensure better preparedness and a coordinated response to future pandemics" said Ms. Trillet-Lenoir.
“Coordination amongst the international community remains a major lever for all European actions in the fields of prevention, preparedness and response to pandemics. This is why I will put more emphasis on international cooperation within the regulation on serious cross-border threats to health. This report could act as a first basis for the creation of an International Treaty on Pandemics” adds the MEP.
"As an extension of the International Health Regulation of 2005, a new treaty could allow us to strengthen the resilience of our health systems, facilitate joint prevention and actions to tackle future pandemics, guarantee a coordinated and united response to crises, ensure universal and fair access to tests, drugs and vaccines and to fight effectively against disinformation strongly undermining public health policies” highlightsVéronique Trillet- Lenoir.
“The development of an International Treaty on Pandemics will require strengthening the existing cooperation between the European Union and the World Health Organization (WHO). We introduced provisions to allow the European Health Program 2021-2027 (“EU4HEALTH) to support actions for prevention, preparedness and reaction to pandemics carried out by the WHO and by other international organizations” underlines Véronique Trillet-Lenoir, who was rapporteur for the Renew Rapporteur group during the negotiations of the Program.
"I am convinced that we will gather all the actors of the international community around this treaty. We have already succeeded with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ratified by 182 parties, including the European Union. So let's follow the example. Let us show that solidarity and coordination are the best weapons against pandemics "concludes the MEP
