The way to new European legislation on critical medicines underlined the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakidou in its placement in the council of competent ministers in Brussels.

At the same time, Mrs. Kyriakidou reported that access to medicines is a long-standing and complex problem for which there are no quick fixes, but it needs to be approached from many angles. As Ms. Kyriakidou noted, the pharmaceutical reform proposed in April is an essential step in building a “pharmaceutical ecosystem” that is competitive and to the benefit of EU industry, citizens and European health systems.

About mental healthwhich is a key pillar of Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission, the Health Commissioner pointed out that never before has there been so much awareness of the need to act on mental health.

“The 20 flagship initiatives and €1.23 billion of funding opportunities in the EU’s overall commitment to improving mental health are of the utmost importance” underlined the Stella Kyriakidou while focusing on equal access with a focus on all those most in need, especially children, young people and the elderly.