The Council of the European Union’s Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) met on 19 and 20 June. This event examined the health aspects of this meeting, along with a broader look at health aspects of the outgoing Greek Presidency and the upcoming Italian Presidency.

The main outcomes of this recent meeting were the signing of a joint-procurement agreement on pandemic vaccines, adoption of Council conclusions in nutrition and physical activity, and on the impacts of the economic crisis on healthcare. There was also further discussion on the difficult issue of medical devices legislation.

The Greek Presidency inherited its legislative issues from the previous presidency, and focused its work on the non-legislative aforementioned Council conclusions. The upcoming Italian Presidency proposes a continuation of the Greek work, with consideration given to a “new approach” on the contentious medical devices file.