§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the outcome of the June EC Health Council meeting. [3420]
§ Ms JowellI represented the Government at the meeting of the Health Council on 5 June in Luxembourg.
Following conciliation with the European Parliament, the Council adopted a joint text for a decision establishing a programme of Community action on Health Monitoring. The Council also adopted a common position on the Commission's proposal for a decision creating a Community network for the epidemiological surveillance and control of communicable diseases. The Council agreed the text of a resolution on migrant doctors and conclusions noting recent developments of interest to Health Ministers in the drugs-related health field. The Council requested the European Commission to study current practice in the Member States concerning cross-border cooperation in the supply of organs and tissues of human origin for medical purposes. There was a short orientation debate on the Commission's communication on measures to combat tobacco consumption and a brief discussion of a Presidency paper on blood safety and self-sufficiency in the Community. The Council took note of developments since its last discussion of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies and agreed to keep the subject under review. The Council also took note of progress made by the taskforce set up to develop a global early warning system and response network for communicable diseases within the context of the EU—US action plan agreed in December 1994 and of new Commission proposals for programmes of Community action on rare diseases and injury prevention.