By keeping research in Europe and by improving access to medical equipment, the EU’s autonomy would grow and its healthcare industry would remain competitive.
Olivér Várhelyi said that if his candidacy for Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare was supported, he wanted to work towards improving citizens’ health by further building the European Healthcare Union, “because cross-border crises like the coronavirus pandemic require joint solutions.”
At his hearing in front of the expert committees of the European Parliament, Várhelyi, who has been EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement for the past five years, said innovation in healthcare was a step towards a “strong, competitive and healthy Europe”.
He said prevention through a “comprehensive approach and investment” would be a priority. He would also work to keep clinical research in Europe and strengthen it, especially in the diseases causing the most deaths in the bloc such as cancer and heart and circulatory diseases.
By keeping research in Europe and by improving access to medical equipment, the EU’s autonomy would grow and its healthcare industry would remain competitive, he said.
“I would like to ensure that treatments and medicine will always be at European citizens’ disposal whenever and wherever they need it.”
Meanwhile, Várhelyi said he would also keep the EU’s food safety and animal health regulations the strictest in Europe, which is also a way to maintain farmers’ competitiveness.
