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stanovisko sekce EHSV: European Judicial Training Strategy 2021-2024
stanovisko sekce EHSV: A Union of equality: EU anti-racism action plan 2020-2025
The EESC recommends, in order to achieve high-quality and inclusive education and training and lifelong learning for all, establishing achievable long-term goals and a constant monitoring system within the European Education Area (EEA) for each Member State. The teaching of key competences, including social sensitivity, empathy, intercultural dialogue and citizenship skills, should be applied across the whole education and training process. This opinion also points at the importance of taking a holistic approach to the implementation of recent EU initiatives on education, vocational education and training, skills, youth education and digital skills. The EESC calls on Member States to ensure effective support for those facing difficulties in accessing quality and inclusive adult education and training, via targeted funding for those in need, such as the unemployed, non-standard workers, the low-skilled and people with disabilities.
The opinion, presenting EESC's position on the four proposals of the Health package published by the European Commission in November 2020, supports and welcomes these initiatives but draws the attention on some elements.
- The EU and Member States should ensure that everyone has equal access to quality, well staffed, well equipped health and social services. This is particularly important in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic which has deepened existing inequalities.
- Special attention in future EU policies should be given to healthcare workers and the need to improve working conditions, including pay, recruitment and retention, as well as their health and safety.
- The new EU health package should be combined with the roll-out of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), particularly its principles 12, 16, 17 and 18 and the Action Plan on the EPSR. It should also be part of achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.
stanovisko sekce EHSV: Building a European Health Union
This is a follow-up to the 2018 EESC opinion on Health Technology Assessment (INT/844). On 24 March 2021, the Council has adopted its negotiating mandate. Since the new compromise text introduces a change of legal basis and substantial changes to the original proposal of the Commission, the Council decided to request a new opinion from the EESC.
Among other things, the Council compromise text proposes a progressive implementation of the product scope, starting with cancer drugs, orphan drugs and ATMP (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products). In addition, when carrying out a national health technology assessment on a health technology for which reports have been published or in respect of which a joint clinical assessment has been initiated, Member States shall not request at the national level information, data, analyses and other evidence that has been submitted by the health technology developer at EU level.