3. IS THERE A POSSIBLE SHORT-TERM LEEWAY?
3.1. A WHOLESOME SUSTAINABLE E UROPEAN APPROACH
Health policy could thus possibly further communication on health policies, especially given the current situation. However, this would not be a sustainable and wholesome approach directed at the comprehensive obstacle of the EU. As previously mentioned, the European Union does not merely face obstacles when debating social and health policy issues, the problem extends beyond those policy fields.
The European Union was built for economic and security reasons after the Second World War.
Minor social policy provisions such as the freedom of workers and occupational health and safety were incorporated in the early treaties, but its development was and still is difficult. The UK was a major actor in stopping and hindering several social policy acts and was awarded with an opt-out clause of the Amsterdam Treaty. The UK successfully continued with its interference ever since and was supported by other Member States fearing loss of sovereignty, creating a somewhat opponent ambiance in the European Union with Germany and France as integration advocates and the UK, Hungary and Poland for instance on the other side.
With the UK leaving the European Union, a possibility not only to relaunch negotiations about reforming the European social policy, but also about a treaty reform.
Commission president Ursula von der Leyen declared in her Opening Statement (2019): “I want citizens to have their say at a Conference on the Future of Europe, to start in 2020 and run for 2 years.”98 The outcome of this Conference of Europe however did not favor a treaty reform.
98 Bühler, ‘Conference on the Future of Europe: A Real Chance for Reform, or Just a Guide for Policy-Making? | Heinrich Böll Stiftung | Brussels Office - European Union’, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, accessed 9 December 2021, https://eu.boell.org/en/2021/05/05/conference-future-europe-real-chance-reform-or-just-guide-policy-making.
Nevertheless, after over 14 years and several crises, the European Union is ready for another reform.
A reform providing for competences in the health sector.
A reform transposing its social policy in the treaty basis.
Finally, a reform, prepared to respond today’s challenges.
References
Anderson, Karen M. Social Policy in the European Union. London: Macmillan Education UK, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-49515-0.
Balducci, Giuseppe. ‘The Limits of Normative Power Europe in Asia: The Case of Human Rights in China’. East Asia 27, no. 1 (March 2010): 35–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12140-009-9090-3.
Bauer-Babef, Clara. ‘MEPs Call for the EU Pharma Strategy to Address Medicine Shortages’.
www.euractiv.com, 14 October 2021. https://www.euractiv.com/section/health-consumers/news/meps-call-for-the-eu-pharma-strategy-to-address-medicine-shortages/.
Bühler. ‘Conference on the Future of Europe: A Real Chance for Reform, or Just a Guide for Policy-Making? | Heinrich Böll Stiftung | Brussels Office - European Union’. Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung. Accessed 9 December 2021. https://eu.boell.org/en/2021/05/05/conference-future-europe-real-chance-reform-or-just-guide-policy-making.
DRAGUET, Vincent. ‘A Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe’. Text. Public Health - European Commission, 3 March 2020. https://ec.europa.eu/health/human-use/strategy_en.
Duncan, B. ‘Health Policy in the European Union: How It’s Made and How to Influence It’.
BMJ 324, no. 7344 (27 April 2002): 1027–30. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.324.7344.1027.
EUR-Lex - Access to European Law. ‘Division of Competences within the European Union’,
26 January 2016.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/HTML/?uri=URISERV:ai0020&from=en.
———. ‘Glossary of Summaries - EUR-Lex’, 2021. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/summary/glossary.html.
———. ‘Healthcare in Other EU Countries - Patients’ Rights’, n.d.
https://ec.europa.eu/health/cross_border_care/overview_en.
———. ‘Public Health’. Accessed 10 December 2021. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/summary/chapter/29.html?expand=2905%2C290501%2C290502%2C2906%2 C290601%2C290602%2C2907%2C290701%2C290703%2C290704%2C290707%2C2908%
2C290801%2C2909%2C290901%2C290902%2C290903%2C290904%2C290905%2C2910
%2C2911%2C291103%2C2912%2C291201%2C291202%2C291203%2C2913%2C291301
%2C291302%2C2999.
———. ‘Tackling the Epidemic of Childhood Obesity’, 11 2017. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=legissum%3A4304070.
EUR-Lex - Access to European Law, and European Union. ‘Single European Act - Summaries of EU Legislation’, 2018. Whereas the recommendations refer to primary and non-binding regulations.
———. ‘Treaty of Brussels (Merger Treaty) Summaries of EU Legislation’, 2018. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=LEGISSUM%3A4301863.
European Commission. ‘Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe - 2020’, 11 2020.
https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/default/files/human-use/docs/pharma-strategy_report_en.pdf.
———. ‘Public Health, Overview, Tobacco’. Text. Public Health - European Commission, 25 November 2016. https://ec.europa.eu/health/tobacco/overview_en.
European Commission. Directorate General for Regional Policy. European Cross-Border Cooperation on Health: Theory and Practice. LU: Publications Office, 2017.
https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2776/271537.
European Parliament. ‘Legislative Train Schedule’. European Parliament, November 2019.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train.
———, ed. ‘The First Treaties’, September 2021.
European Parliament, and European Council. DIRECTIVE 2003/33/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 May 2003 on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to the advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products, 2003/33/EC § (2003).
European Union. The Treaty of the European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the
European Union (1958).
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-———. ‘Topics of the European Union’. Text. European Union, 16 June 2016.
https://europa.eu/european-union/topics_en.
———. Treaty Establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (Consolidated Version) (1951).
Federal Ministry of Health. ‘Elektronische Patientenakte’. Accessed 10 December 2021.
https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/elektronische-patientenakte.html.
Greer, Scott L. ‘The Three Faces of European Union Health Policy: Policy, Markets, and Austerity’. Policy and Society 33, no. 1 (March 2014): 13–24.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polsoc.2014.03.001.
Hammermeister, Julia. ‘How to Expand the EU Normative Power in Human Rights (e.g., China Case)’, 05 2021.
Manners, Ian. ‘Normative Power Europe: A Contradiction in Terms?’ JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies 40, no. 2 (June 2002): 235–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5965.00353.
Mossialos, Elias, and Martin McKee. EU Law and the Social Character of Health Care. Work
& Society, no. 38. Brussels; New York: P.I.E.-Peter Lang, 2002.
Official Journal of the European Communities. Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, C 364/1 § (2000).
———. Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union, C 326/15 § (2009).
———. Council Conclusions to contribute towards halting the rise in Childhood Overweight and Obesity, 2017/C 205/3 § (2017).
———. ‘Council Recommendation on the Prevention of Smoking and on Initiatives to Improve Tobacco Control’, 12 2002.
———. Treaty establishing the European Community, No C 224/6 § (1958).
———. Treaty of Nice amending the Treaty on European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, 2001/C 80/01 § (2003).
Oxford University Press, ed. ‘Policy (Noun)’. In Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, 2021.
Phinnemore, David. ‘2. The European Union: Establishment and Development’. In European Union Politics, by David Phinnemore, 11–30. Oxford University Press, 2019.
https://doi.org/10.1093/hepl/9780198806530.003.0002.
Pushkarev, Nikolai, Fiona Godfrey, and Sascha Marschang. ‘EU Public Health Policies. State of Play, Current and Future Challenges’. Edited by European Parliament and Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies Directorate-General for Internal Policies, September 2019, 52.
Schonard, Martina. ‘Supranational Decision-Making Procedures’, 2021, 6.
Sokolska, Ina. ‘Developments up to the Single European Act’. Edited by European Parliament, 2021.
———. ‘The Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties’, 2021.
———. ‘The Treaty of Nice and the Convention on the Future of Europe’, 2021, 5.
Steffen, Monika, ed. Health Governance in Europe: Issues, Challenges, and Theories. London;
New York: Routledge, 2005.
Stock, Richard. ‘Birth of the European Union and Chronology of the Integration’. Translated by Julie Gratz. Reperes, 2011. shorturl.at/gpLV1.
Titmuss, Richard M. ‘What Is Social Policy?’ In Welfare States: Construction, Deconstruction, Reconstruction Volume 1, by Stephan Leibfried and Steffen Mau. An Elgar Reference Collection. Cheltenham, UK; Northhampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 2008.
Vanhercke, Bart, Slavina Spasova, and Boris Fronteddu. Social Policy in the European Union:
State of Play 2020, 2021.
‘WHO: EU-Wide Introduction of Nutri-Score Necessary’. Accessed 10 December 2021.
https://www.foodwatch.org/en/news/2021/who-eu-wide-introduction-of-nutri-score-necessary/?cookieLevel=not-set.