Ministerial Committee on EU Affairs discusses EU pharmaceutical package and several upcoming council meetings

In its meeting on Wednesday 4 December, the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs agreed on Finland’s positions on the deliberations for the EU pharmaceutical package. The Ministerial Committee on also outlined Finland’s positions for next week’s council meetings.

The Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs outlined Finland’s positions on the deliberations concerning the proposal for an EU pharmaceutical package issued by the Commission in April 2023. Finland outlined its main positions on the package in a Union communication in October 2023. 

In Finland’s view, it is important that the deliberations pay attention to ensuring a favourable environment and strengthening the market for pharmaceuticals research and development and for production-related investments. The period of regulatory data protection should be long enough to support medical research and innovation activities within the EU, as is currently the case. In Finland’s view, the legislation must promote the objective of ensuring that pharmaceuticals are available to small markets, for example through an incentive or obligation. Finland also considers it important to promote the development of new antimicrobials.

The Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs also outlined Finland’s positions for the following upcoming meetings:

• Agriculture and Fisheries Council (9–10 December)
• Eurogroup (9 December) and ECOFIN (10 December)
• Justice and Home Affairs Council (12–13 December)

The Agriculture and Fisheries Council will discuss fishing opportunities in the Atlantic and North Sea and in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, hold a policy debate on future opportunities for the bioeconomy and discuss the EU’s common agricultural policy. The council will also have brief discussions on the protection of animals in transport and the forest monitoring framework. 

The ECOFIN Council will focus on the implementation of the economic governance framework fiscal policy framework and the European Court of Auditors’ annual report for the financial year 2023. The Eurogroup will discuss the new Commission’s economic policy guidelines and, in an extended composition, exchange views with Chancellor of the Exchequer of the UK Rachel Reeves.

The home affairs ministers will decide on the lifting of internal border controls at the air and maritime borders with Bulgaria and Romania. They will also take stock of the overall state of the Schengen area and discuss the interoperability of EU information systems and the implementation of the pact on migration and asylum. Another possible item on the agenda is the adoption of a partial general approach on the proposal for a regulation to prevent and combat child sexual abuse (the CSAM regulation).

The ministers of justice will adopt general approaches on the migrant smuggling directive and the proposal for a directive to prevent and combat sexual violence against children (the CSA directive), as well as a partial general approach on the directive to harmonise insolvency law. 

Both the home affairs ministers and the justice ministers will receive an update on the state of play of the strategic guidelines in areas related to justice and home affairs. The ministers will adopt the guidelines to be submitted to the December European Council. 

Inquiries: Elisa Tarkiainen, Special Adviser (EU Affairs), tel. +358 50 433 4533, Jari Luoto, Director General, EU Affairs Department, tel. +358 50 468 5949, and Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister’s Office