Rapporteur Talks

The European Expert Group on Orphan Drug Incentives (OD Expert Group) has been established to discuss and bring forward innovative proposals to stimulate innovation and foster research into therapies for rare diseases.

The multidisciplinary and cross-functional OD Expert Group started its work in 2020, bringing together representatives of the broad rare disease community, including research, academia, patient representatives, members of the investor community, rare disease companies and trade associations. The Group has developed a report with 14 policy proposals to improve the Orphan Medicinal Products (OMP) innovation environment in Europe. These proposals put together different ideas on how to address the unmet needs of rare disease patients by evolving the European orphan drugs landscape from research to access.

With the general consultation for the OMP and Paediatric Regulation recently opened, the experts look forward to presenting their recommendations, as the review on the EU legislation for rare diseases represents a unique opportunity to build on and draw inspiration from many of the expert proposed solutions. The experts are keen on discussing with audiences, policy makers and panellists compelling ideas for the next decade of rare disease policies in Europe.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of the interlinkages between the degradation of our environment and the health of our societies. However, policymakers often lack reliable data and concrete ways to measure the impact of environmental and climate change on citizens’ health & well-being.

On 12 May 2021, the European Commission presented its Zero Pollution Action Plan, acknowledging the public health, environmental, moral and socio-economic impacts of pollution, and aiming to include pollution prevention in all relevant EU policies. In March, the Commission and the European Environment Agency (EEA) also launched a Climate & Health Observatory to provide access to resources related to climate change and human health.

In this context, this roundtable event will highlight and discuss best practices on data-collection tools and indicators that can help to better understand, monitor and adapt to the impacts of pollution and climate change on human health.

Cohesion Policy is the EU’s main investment policy. It targets all regions and cities in the European Union in order to support job creation, business competitiveness, economic growth, sustainable development, and improve citizens’ quality of life.

The bulk of Cohesion Policy funding is concentrated on less developed European countries and regions in order to help them to catch up and to reduce the economic, social and territorial disparities that still exist in the EU.

Approximately 32.5% of the EU budget 2014-2020 was allocated to financial instruments which support Cohesion Policy. 

Measuring the impact and results of Cohesion Policy is critical to its ongoing success. It enables the EU to demonstrate the achievements of the Policy to European citizens. It also offers the opportunity to learn from good practices and to continuously improve projects and programmes.

The European Green Deal affects sectors of the European economy in different ways and poses a major challenge. The German natural mineral water sector is in a quite favourable situation. It embodies the principle of sustainability in several ways and thus already makes an important contribution to achieving the goals of the Green Deal:

• Natural mineral water is a sustainable product which is naturally pure and contributes to healthy nutrition of people. The sector relies on a European water policy which aims at protecting all underground water resources against negative environmental influences and threats caused by climate change.

• The German natural mineral water sector practices circular economy principles with a deposit-based system of reuse, refill and recycling of the packaging.

• With the sector initiative “Climate Neutrality 2030”, the German natural mineral water sector is contributing to the EU's climate protection goals.

What are the characteristics of these initiatives and which role do they play in the context of increasing sustainability requirements for the business? How does the natural mineral water sector contribute to the Green Deal in an efficient and sustainable way? Is such a strategy a solid basis for long-term stable framework conditions in an industry that mainly consists of family-run small and medium-sized companies?

After being delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 crisis, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, will take place in Glasgow from 1 - 12 November 2021.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described 2021 as a “make or break year” in the fight against the climate emergency and underlined that long-term commitments must be matched by immediate actions to launch the decade of transformation that people and the planet so desperately need.

n 2020, the agricultural sector faced unprecedented challenges due to the Covid-19 crisis. From logistical issues, a shortage of workforce, to radical changes in demand, the sector showed its resilience by adapting to the different challenges. Overall, the impact of the crisis on food markets has remained limited thanks to the resilience of the food chain.

The EU and African Union seek to make up for the time lost in 2020 by accelerating talks on a new strategic partnership covering political and economic cooperation. But some are asking whether the EU’s plan to strike a strategic partnership with Africa has become a “victim” of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the field of competitors for investing in Africa becomes more crowded, the EU will quickly have to improve its offer if it wants to succeed in maintaining its position as the “priority partner”. The Portuguese government, holders of the current six-month rotating EU presidency, is taking an active part in preparing the 6th EU-African Union Summit and is anxious to conclude a mutually fruitful partnership by the summer.

2019 marked the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Eastern Partnership (EaP), when the EU strengthened its relationship with 6 Eastern partners. The identified goals committed the EU, its Member States and the six partners to achieve concrete improvement in four key areas: economy, governance, connectivity, and society.

Georgia, as one of the most ambitious of the six partners, has seen its ties with the EU grow stronger since 2009. Several measures have contributed to this improvement, such as the ongoing opening of the EU market to Georgian products, the entry into force of visa liberalisation, agriculture modernisation, and infrastructure investment, amongst others.

The EU has a strategy called “more for more”, meaning that the most ambitious of its partners should receive tangible recognition for their efforts to get closer to the EU. However, EU member states oppose any accession soon. This is why Georgia’s government has been pushing for the country to join as many EU programmes as possible. In an effort to “set a new course”, as mentioned by Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili in July, Georgia wishes to be an ad-hoc case, a ‘testing ground’ for a new path towards EU membership. Additionally, as tensions with Russia rise over the occupation of the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgia is also seeking more political support from the EU.

China, the EU and the US are collectively responsible for around 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The EU is fighting climate change through ambitious policies at home and close cooperation with international partners. Last year, China, the world’s largest emitter, promised to end its contribution to global heating and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. 

President Biden has recently fulfilled his pledge to rejoin the Paris Agreement. Furthermore, he set a target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, a move that mirrors Europe’s own commitments.

International cooperation on climate change has lost momentum in recent years but 2021 could mark the beginning of a closer cooperation between the world’s largest emitters. The political will is arguably the strongest in many years. By cooperating closely, China, the EU and the US could not only reach their climate targets faster, but they could also support better other countries in achieving theirs.

The EU engagement in negotiating Forest Partnerships for the period 2022-2027 is expected to deliver on the European Green Deal priorities as well as the EU’s development cooperation objectives, including poverty alleviation and human rights.

In its resolution on the European Green Deal, the European Parliament called on the Commission 'to present, without delay, a proposal for a European legal framework based on due diligence to ensure sustainable and deforestation-free supply chains for products placed on the EU market, with a particular focus on tackling the main drivers of imported deforestation and instead encouraging imports that do not create deforestation abroad'.

As the timber trade continues to boom and land is cleared for agricultural purposes, forest areas are constantly shrinking. 

While supporting the end goal of the European Union in cutting the link with imported deforestation, some stakeholders, including industry, wonder about the consequences that this legislation could have on ongoing efforts to improve practices with third country actors.

“Cleaning up” supply chains will remain a key priority of the EU. But industry argues that the process should build on existing actions and rely on a ‘smart mix’ of different measures, which requires the establishment of solid partnerships and mutual understanding with producing countries.