EU health ministers to discuss establishment of European Health Data Space and revision of EU Global Health Strategy on 14 June 

The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) will meet in Luxembourg on 14 June 2022 in its health ministers configuration. Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Aki Lindén will represent Finland at the meeting.

The aim of the European Health Data Space is to make it easier for people to access and share their health data, and to enhance the continuity of care within the EU.  It also aims to ensure that researchers, innovators and decision-makers can, under precisely defined conditions, access and use health data in a consistent and secure manner across Europe. 

The EU health ministers will discuss a proposal for a regulation on the European Health Data Space (EHDS) on 14 June. 

“The European Health Data Space is an important step forward for the EU in the fields of both health policy and data policy. Finland is at the leading edge, particularly when it comes to the secondary use of health data. For this reason, it is worth taking Finland’s experiences into account and making use of them when discussing the proposal for a regulation,” says Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Aki Lindén.

Finland wants to strengthen EU’s role in global health issues

The health ministers will also hold a policy debate on the revision of the EU Global Health Strategy. Finland supports the strengthening of the EU’s role in global health.

“Even during our Presidency of the Council of the EU, one of Finland’s key objectives was to strengthen the EU’s role in global health issues, and we continue to work actively towards this end,” says Minister Lindén.    

In addition, the health ministers will discuss the European strategy on the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

Inquiries:

Sampo Varjonen, Special Adviser to Minister Lindén, [email protected]
Reetta Honkanen, Senior Specialist, [email protected]