On the 8th of September, VSE Executive Director Levent Altan took part in an online debate “Is EU4Health the solution for public health emergencies ?“.
The talks highlighted what is currently at stake in the Corona crisis but also look beyond the period of the pandemic, and what possible solutions are already out there and can lend themselves to design the post-corona world. EU4Health proposes to increase significantly EU investment in preparedness for major cross border health threats including the creation of reserves of medical supplies.
This debate covered different themes:
- how EU4Health will operate,
- which threats should be prioritised and
- how it will work alongside ‘rescEU’, a new European reserve of capacities for faster response to civil protection emergencies.
In his speech Levent Altan stated that EU4 Health and other programmes needs to recognise and include victims support service providers in their priorities and emphasised the following two points:
- Victim focus in planning and preparedness and connection with health issues
- Role of victim support organisations in pandemics and in health systems
Other speakers included:
- Welcome and Chair : Michael GAHLER MEP, President of the Kangaroo Group
- Cristian-Silviu BUSOI MEP, EPP/Romania, Chair of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
- Matthew HUDSON, Director for Resource Management and better Regulation, DG SANTE Dr. – Steven CHATFIELD, Independent Consultant on Infectious Disease and Emergency Preparedness and Response; Author of the European Parliament Expert Report on ‘Member States’ Preparedness for CBRN Threats ‘
- Dr. Karsten FALK, Competence Center EU Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, Johanniter International
Download the agenda
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The Kangaroo Group is an association of Representatives of the European Parliament, Commission and Council, Academia, Media and the Business Community. Its main goals are the full implementation of the Internal Market, the Stability of the Euro and the realization of a common Security and Defence Policy of the European Union. The group started in 1979 as an informal group of friends in the European Parliament. The Kangaroo was chosen for the name of the group due to its ability to take big jumps over any boundaries allthough it has a small pouch.
Today, the group is incorporated under Belgian law as a nonprofit organisation (aisbl). It has been entered into the Transparency Register of the European Union as a Think Tank.
The goal of the Kangaroo Group is to enhance European unity around the pursuit of common projects. We choose our projects in consideration of the principle of subsidiarity. The motto of the Kangaroo Group is free movement and security.
