NEW STRUCTURES TO TACKLE NEW CHALLENGES IN EUROPEAN HEALTHCARE

ABSTRACT

At the official level, the EU has already acknowledged the need for some closer alignment between its distinct but overlapping institutions, with the emergence of declarations of intent to create a European Health Union and promises of a radical review of EU rules on pharmaceuticals-all predating the arrival of COVID's additional impact of concentrating minds. [...]there is support within the European Parliament and the European Commission for more ambitious official EU engagement in health policy and a corresponding extension of EU competences into traditionally national government territory-although as a telling demonstration of the sort of divisions that dominate Europe, this is viewed by many of the member states in the EU's Council with extreme caution and has even provoked some downright resistance. According to its just-released manifesto, collaboration is needed between European policymakers, member states, and all other actors across the health community-and even more so in the wake of COVID.