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From the 1st of January 2018 Bulgaria is holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). The Presidency rotates between different EU member states and gives Bulgaria the opportunity to chair meetings and set agendas.

As usual, EFA pays close attention to the Council’s Presidency as its agenda may influence European laws affecting the patients we represent.

The Balkan country has therefore established the priorities of the Council for the first 6 months of 2018, as shown in its program, mainly focused on the upcoming EU multiannual financial framework. The discussions centered on the new budget of the EU are crucial for EFA and other public health organizations cooperating together in the EU 4 Health campaign, as it will also shape policy and funding.

EFA is part of the EU4health Campaign, which gathers 196 organisations that ask the president of the European Comission, Jean-CLaude Juncker, to include Health as a priority on the future Scenario of the European Union.

Health is only highlighted three times in the Bulgarian Presidency priorities, namely:  

  1. Authorization and supervision of medicinal products for human and veterinary use and establishing a European Medicines Agency.
  2. Healthy diet for children, as the key priority of the Presidency
  3. Medicinal products, in order to find solutions to the problems related to the shortage of medicinal products for economic reasons, parallel exports and the need

The presidency also plans to provide effective medicines at affordable prices and to improve healthy childhood by promoting physical exercise and promoting healthy diet for children.  

Nevertheless, Bulgaria will have an important role on the ongoing reform of Energy Efficiency- and Renewable Energy Directives. The efforts they want to put on the Energy Union Governance (EC regulatory instrument for energy and climate commitments) will affect directly air pollution.

In conclusion, despite there is no clear health related legislation ongoing in the Bulgarian priorities, we still see opportunities, especially in the framework of the discussions around the EU multiannual financial framework.