Commission and WHO join forces to tackle health threats

The European Commission and the World Health Organisation (WHO) today held a series of high-level consultations in Brussels to take forward their global alliance in tackling health threats. Commissioners David Byrne, Pascal Lamy, Philippe Busquin and Poul Nielson as well as senior officials from the Environment Directorate-General discussed with WHO Director-General Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland joint strategies to address a wide range of health issues, including combating smoking, the fight against communicable diseases, health research, environment and health and nutrition and food safety. The issues addressed during the meetings show the extent of co-operation between the Commission and the WHO. Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne, who chaired the meetings, concluded: "The Commission and the WHO both have roles to play, and working together has a multiplying effect. We share goals, better health for all, we are natural allies and it makes sense to pursue these objectives together."

Strengthening work on Communicable Diseases

At their second high-level meeting, Commissioner Byrne and Director-General Brundtland discussed possibilities to link the WHO with the EU communicable diseases surveillance network. Joint action plans are agreed in areas such as capacity building in applicant countries, training in crisis/outbreak management, more effective synergies between the EU Early Warning and Response System and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network. The WHO agreed that the Commission will be fully involved in the revision process of the International Health Regulations.

Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Poul Nielson, Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin and WHO Director-General Brundtland took stock of the ongoing and successful co-operation between the EU and the WHO on the Programme for Action on Communicable Diseases in developing countries (DCs). Both partners agreed to work towards increasing Official Development Assistance (ODA) for better health outcomes. Currently 7.4 % of ODA is targeting health. In the light of this ambitious five-year programme, Commission and WHO work together on strengthening the capacities of developing countries in the area of pharmaceutical policies in order to negotiate with and procure products from producers, in particular in Africa at the lowest possible price and the further work on a global commitment on tiered pricing. They have also worked closely together in developing new international public/private partnerships, such as the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria. So far, the Fund committed up to EUR 700 million for more than 40 developing countries.

Commissioner Busquin and Director-General Brundtland discussed the possibility of a WHO participation in health-related research aspects within the forthcoming EU 6th Research Framework Programme, notably via its priority themes on genomics and biotechnology for health, policy support and international co-operation. Brundtland agreed that the WHO will help raising the awareness of DCs on co-operation opportunities in the Europe-Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership programme (EDCTP), to which the EU will contribute EUR 200 million. Busquin underlined that this project is going to be the largest ever funded in the framework of EU research policy.

He welcomed WHO's offer for technical advice and support in establishing EDCTP and renewed its invitation to WHO to join EDCTP as a full partner. He and Brundtland agreed to launch a more systematic co-operation, starting with a regular exchange of information on their missions, priorities and actions.

Commissioners and Director-General Brundtland agreed on major trade related issues to improve access to medicines. The Declaration on the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) and Public Health made at the launch of the Doha Development Agenda underscores a pro-public health approach in international trade. The WHO welcomed the spirit in which the EU is conducting negotiations at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on compulsory licenses for developing countries lacking manufacturing capacity. It also welcomed its intention to find a sustainable and balanced solution for these countries before the end of this year.

WHO and Commission agreed that the WHO should co-operate closely, where appropriate, with the WTO and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) on technical assistance to developing countries implementing the TRIPs Agreement along the lines of the Doha Declaration. R&D and generic pharmaceutical producers must offer the lowest possible prices on a sustainable basis (tiered prices) to the poorest countries to make essential medicines affordable to all. Global co-operation will be needed to achieve this.

The Commission and WHO will continue to analyze the effects of abolishing tariffs and taxes on medicines imported into developing countries.

Tobacco control

A very good and pertinent example of the co-operation between the Commission and the WHO are the joint efforts to establish a strong and globally binding WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The Commission takes an active role in the FCTC negotiations and is fully committed to their successful completion. The WHO welcomed the EU anti-smoking information campaign targeting young people between 12 and 18 years. The WHO will be included in the expert group following up and advising the campaign.

The European Commission and WHO also agreed to work closely together to put Tobacco Control in developing countries on the international development agenda, which includes the organization of a high-level roundtable on tobacco and development at the end of the year.

Health information

Byrne and Brundtland discussed the collaborative work to develop new health information systems, especially between the Commission and the WHO European office. They also discussed the WHO/FAO initiative on diet, nutrition and prevention of chronic diseases and ways of collaboration.

Environment and Health

Director-General Brundtland met with the Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Wallström, who is in Bali to prepare the World Summit on Sustainable Development, and officials of the Commission's Environment Directorate-General to discuss the EU's Environment and Health Strategy, the WHO's new initiative on children's' health and environment and sustainable development and future cooperation on these issues between the WHO and the Commission.

Future priorities: Joint Action Plan

Future priority areas for co-operation between the EU and the WHO include strengthening the existing partnership in communicable diseases, tobacco and health information, as well as exploring ways for co-operation in new areas such as health and EU Enlargement, poverty and health and children's health. In order to strengthen co-operation further, Commission and WHO agreed to take forward the work on the priorities in the framework of a joint action plan for the period till the end of 2004.

Background

The new partnership approach stems from an Exchange of Letters between the World Health Organisation and the European Commission in December 2000 (O.J. 2001/C 1/04). This exchange identified various priority areas, including health information, communicable diseases, tobacco, mental health, environment and health, nutrition and alcohol. It set up various co-operation mechanisms:

• high-level meetings between Commissioner Byrne and WHO Director-General Brundtland, aiming at an exchange of views and review of activities and working plans;
  
  
• meetings of senior officials to review work progress in priority
  areas and to examine future collaborative projects;
  
  
• coordination meetings between services to cover practical matters of co-operation.

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• Access to medicines: Brundtland and Lamy push ahead (6/6/2002)