Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressed this morning the World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO), which gathers between 29 November and 1 December for its second-ever special session. The President welcomed the Assembly’s decision to start negotiations towards an international instrument to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Following the emergence of the Omicron…
Every year, 1.3 million people in the EU die of cancer and 2.7 million are diagnosed with it. The EPP says, “We can and must change this trend.” Its message is: “The work we do in the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) must make a difference to people’s lives.” The EPP Group…
Parliament’s Bureau decided that the request to present an EU Digital COVID Certificate to access Parliament’s buildings will be extended to all people wishing to enter. As of 3 November, all people entering Parliament’s buildings in its three places will be requested to present a valid EU Digital COVID Certificate, including journalists. The EU Digital…
The European Parliament and Council have reached a provisional agreement on Thursday to make the European Medicines Agency more effective in tackling shortages of medicines and medical devices. The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) capacity to manage the availability of medicinal products and medical devices will be strengthened with the creation of two “shortages steering groups”,…
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed weaknesses in Europe’s economic landscape, notably regional inequalities, skills gaps and risks to the single market and supplies of strategic goods. In the light of these lessons, the European Commission has updated its blueprint for a greener, more digital and competitive industrial landscape, the New Industrial Strategy for Europe. In…
EU council president Charles Michel has said the virus exposed “the gaps in our national preparedness.” In a speech at the world health summit, he said, “just last week we had our latest European Council meeting. I have now chaired over 16 meetings where the 27 EU Leaders have addressed COVID-19. And I can tell you…
A leading ferry operator is honouring the “forgotten angels” who have been at the sharp end of the ongoing health crisis. Nurses worldwide have been acclaimed for their sterling efforts to help the needy during the near-two year pandemic that has cost tens of thousands of lives and devastated economies. DFDS has now decided to…
The EPP Group says it has “fought tooth and nail” for €20 billion in public-private partnerships to tackle global challenges. “We all know the kind of challenges that planet earth, and indeed humanity, are facing today. Innovation holds the promise to overcome them”, declared Maria da Graça Carvalho MEP, the European Parliament Rapporteur on nine…
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says more than 75 per cent of Europeans have received vaccinations. On Monday, she said, “We have reached an important milestone in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to the world. The European Union has exported over 1 billion vaccine doses worldwide, over the past ten months. Vaccines produced in the…
Mobility, education, housing and active inclusion in public life are key areas where disabled Europeans would benefit from reform, say MEPs. The EU should have a common definition for the disabled and introduce a European Disability Card to mutually recognise disability status across the EU, argue MEPs in a resolution approved with 579 votes in…
