Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council

The health session will be on four topics involving specific changes for European citizens. The Council will debate the following subjects: cross-border health care, rare diseases, health security and age-related neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer’s disease.

• Cross-border health care: The proposal for a directive would enable the removal of unjustified obstacles for mobility and ensure safe and health-quality health care with clear and transparent reimbursement procedures. The advances obtained under the French Presidency aim at clarifying these rights while respecting the capacity of Member States to organise healthcare access.
• Rare diseases: The Council’s draft recommendation proposes to Member States to draw up national plans and create a European network pooling knowledge and means, to guarantee access to diagnoses, adapted treatments and medicines for the patients concerned, while favouring research.

The Presidency will invite the Council to adopt conclusions on two other points:

• Health security: The Member States could commit to reinforcing coordination to tackle international public health crises, in terms of communication and research development, and the measures required to guarantee that national, medical stocks are operational and improve coordination with the World Heath Organisation (WHO). These draft conclusions take into account the results of the "EUROGRIPPE" conference, organised by the Presidency in Angers on 4 and 5 September 2008.
• Alzheimer’s disease: At Nicolas Sarkozy’s initiative, the French Presidency has proposed to launch in 2009 a large-scale European initiative with four axes: strengthening research; improving epidemiology and prognosis capacity; exchanging experience and best practices on prevention, early diagnosis, medical social assistance and health care; protecting ethical rights and issues to ensure dignified ageing. The results of the conference on Alzheimer’s disease, held in Paris on 30 and 31 October 2008, will provide the basis for these conclusions.

The labour / social affairs session will facilitate debate between the 27 ministers competent in these dossiers on the social impact of the current crisis, the employment situation, and the follow-up and implementation of the social agenda.  The Presidency hoped to hold an exchange of views aimed at identifying the main guidelines for an appropriate national and European response.

The Council will also address several legislative dossiers: the work towards a political agreement of the Council on the proposal for a directive on European Works Councils, according to the European Parliament’s first reading vote scheduled on 16 December; the adoption of a  political agreement on the proposed directive for the implementation of the social partners’ agreement on the ILO Maritime Labour Convention; the adoption of a  common position on amending regulation 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems and its implementing regulation. The Presidency also plans to review the results of its consultations with the European Parliament on the proposed revision of the Working Time Directive (Parliament’s report in second reading is expected for 16 December) and the status of discussions on the Directive on non-discrimination and equal opportunities. The latter proposal, adopted by the Commission on 2 July 2008, aims at providing protection against different discriminations outside of the workplace.

Further conclusions should be adopted by the Council on the basis of the Commission’s recommendations of 3 October 2008, notably on the active inclusion of people excluded from the labour market. These form part of the implementation of the Beijing action programme on indicators concerning women and armed conflict, and the conciliation of professional and family life.

During this session, the European Commission should also present a communication on “The impact of free movement of workers in the context of EU enlargement”.

Main results of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council – Health configuration 

Main results of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council – Employment/Social Affairs Configuration
 

• Updated: 30.12.2008

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