The Latvian Minister for health calls for a support to more robust health policies in the EU

On 21 January, Guntis Belēviās, the Latvian minister for health, outlined the health policy priorities of the Latvian Presidency to the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee of European Parliament (EP i).

As regards legislative issues, the minister underlined the importance of the regulations on medical devices and in-vitro medical devices. Emphasising that the issue is important for both patent safety and the European industry he called for the Parliament’s support in the legislative process.

Guntis Belēviās confirmed that the presidency will continue work on the rules on new psychoactive substances, started during the previous Council Presidencies.

The minister underlined that the main attention of the Latvian presidency’s agenda in the area of health will be devoted to discussions on healthy lifestyle with an emphasis on healthy nutrition and physical activities, the role of education in maintaining healthy lifestyle and gender differences in relation to obesity. It is also intended to discuss the role of the modern technology in the education on healthy lifestyle, the alcohol policy in the EU and steps needed to fight multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.