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ISSN : 2467-4338

	Newsletter October 2020
Health and Food Safety

In this issue - Edition 65 - October 2020
Health Food Safety		Coming up

| Health | Food

Health

Coronavirus resurgence – new preparedness and response measures for the EU

Faced with the sharp increase of cases across the EU, the European Commission asked Member States to step up measures on data sharing, well-targeted testing, contact tracing, vaccination campaigns and access to essential medical supplies such as vaccination equipment. The Commission will also invest €100 million in rapid antigen tests to distribute to Member States and extend VAT waivers for medical equipment. The measures were announced ahead of the European Council’s first virtual meeting on COVID-19 coordination on 29 October.

Building a European Health Union: Commission finalising its proposals

On 29 October, Commisisoner Kyriakides and Director-General for Health and Food Safety Sandra Gallina discussed the EU’s health response at a webinar. The Commission is working on proposals to strengthen the EU health security framework to improve EU preparedness and response. This includes strengthening the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as a revamped legal framework for cross-border health threats.

COVID-19: Commission lists key vaccination steps

On 15 October, the European Commission presented the key elements to be taken into consideration by Member States for their COVID-19 vaccination strategies to prepare the EU and its citizens for when a safe and effective vaccine is available. This includes identifying the priority groups for vaccination.

COVID-19: Signature of a third contract for potential vaccine

On 21 October, the entry into force of a third contract with a pharmaceutical company, and the European Commission was confirmed. The agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica NV will allow Member States to purchase vaccines for 200 million people with an option to purchase additional doses for an additional 200 million people. President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Our aim is to provide EU citizens with safe and effective vaccines as soon as they are found.”

COVID-19: EU interoperability gateway goes live

On 19 October, the European Commission, at the invitation of Member States, has set up an interoperability gateway service. The aim of the service is to exploit the full potential of contact tracing and warning apps to break the chain of coronavirus infections and save lives also cross-borders. After a successful pilot phase, the system went live with the first wave of national apps now being linked to the server: Germany’s Corona-Warn-App, Ireland’s COVID tracker and Italy’s immuni.

Mental Health Day

In what has been a challenging year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety marked World Mental Health Day by calling for an increased awareness of the triggers which may negatively impact on our mental health: “The kaleidoscope of mental health challenges ranges from anxiety to loneliness and depression. We need to pay close attention to the signs our body gives us.” This year's World Mental Health Day is calling for increased investment in mental health and better access to services.

Food Safety

Farm to Fork 2020 Conference

On the 15 and 16 October, DG SANTE and DG AGRI together organised the first Farm to Fork conference entitled Building sustainable food systems together. Held on the occasion of World Food Day it brought together European stakeholders interested in helping to shape the EU’s path towards sustainable food systems. The conference was opened by the Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans and was hosted by the European Commissioner for Health & Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, and the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski.

International Day for Awareness on Food Loss and Waste

The 29th of September was the first International Day for Awareness on Food Loss and Waste (IFLWDay), an issue which is a key component of the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy. The European Commission contributed with a series of activities and social media actions in order to inform and engage citizens and stakeholders regarding food loss and waste prevention.

Publication of 2019 RASFF report

The 2019 report on the use of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed was published on 8 October. It shows that a total of 4118 notifications of food or feed risks were reported by the Member States to the European Commission last year. This is a slight rise from last year's Report, confirming that food operators and Member States are making an extensive use of the system.

Coming up

11 November

Building a European Health Union: preparedness and resilience

16 November

AGRIFISH

18 November

European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD)

18 November

European Cancer Summit 2020

24 November

Adoption of the Pharmaceutical Strategy

The Health and Food Safety newsletter will change its current format. The next issue, to be released by the end of November, will have a new design and new features and segments.

This is the newsletter of DG Health and Food Safety.

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