Minister Vandeurzen on the EU Presidency
As Flemish Minister for Welfare, Public Health and Family, Jo Vandeurzen does not chair a Council configuration. Still he intends to make use of the élan of the Belgian Presidency to encourage cross-border cooperation and collaboration within the care sector.
What exactly will be your role during this European Presidency?
There are five main areas where we want to achieve better cooperation through knowledge exchange and dialogue: poverty, forensic psychiatry, jobs in the care sector, foster care and people with disabilities.
For example we will organise the conference "Taking Care of Foster Care", where all parties concerned from all over Europe will meet to debate current topics. As I have indicated in my policy memorandum, foster care is an important form of care. What I want to achieve in the course of 2012 is to have a single foster care decree, which will apply across all sectors.
Another important issue is the question how we are going to find qualified staff in sufficient numbers to meet the growing demand in the health and care sectors. Recently, the European Commissionpublished a green paper with the results of its consultations on this issue. I have myself launched the “working for jobs in the care sector (NL)” action plan only recently. We will also organise a "Health Workforce" conference, which will focus on possibilities for an innovative approach and cooperation in Europe regarding employment in the care sector.
With a view to stimulating the exchange of scientific knowledge and good practices also in other areas, we have planned two further conferences. The first is a conference on forensic psychiatry. The second is the conference on the social determinants of health, where particular attention will be devoted to people with disabilities and poverty issues will be addressed. We are placing this topic in the spotlight during the EU Presidency, because this year is also the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.
What is the influence of the European Union on your policy areas?
The influence of the European Union on our daily lives is increasing, and this also holds for the health and welfare sectors. Europe's ambition is to continue improving the cohesion in the Member States' social policies.
Within the Europe 2020 strategy for jobs and economic growth, particular attention will be devoted to the social aspects of the crisis and to employment issues. Objectives concerning poverty and social inclusion will be included.
The influence of the European Union on the policies of Laurette Onkelinx, our Federal Minister of Public Health, is quite extensive. My core competence is mainly prevention. In this domain the influence of the European Union is rather more restricted. The EU is mainly concerned with coordinating activities, where the European level can provide added value – for example with information dissemination and gathering during the flu pandemic. Europe also provides a number of specific public health recommendations which Flanders has incorporated in its own policies, for example in the area of cancer screening.
Furthermore there is the European Health Programme, which is intended to encourage cooperation between Member States and regions, and the exchange of experiences in the field of prevention. Member States are assisted in this way, for example with the correct implementation of European Directives.
Obviously, European rules and regulations from other areas, such as those concerning the internal market, will also have a significant impact on the organisation of the health and care sectors. An example of this would be the European Services Directive, which affects a number of services in the elder care and child care domains. The Services Directive specifies which licences the Flemish authorities can impose.
In your policy areas, which breakthrough would you like to see realised on a European level?
A very important project in our policy area is Flanders’ Care. This is an ambitious project furthering innovation and entrepreneurship in the care sector, which is intended to contribute to the quality of care and to the specific economic development in this field.
Technical evolutions and also the ageing of the population constitute major challenges in the care sector. Flanders’ Care takes up these challenges and aims to position Flanders as an internationally leading region in the care field.
Flanders’ Care brings together the main parties involved with innovation in care. The cooperation between care institutions, knowledge establishments and business establishments must ensure the development of practice-based solutions. Important topics in this respect include: assistive technology, telemedicine, care ICT, translational medicine, diagnostics/imaging and sustainability.
What is your view on the future development of the European Union?
In my opinion the federal entities should be able to participate more directly in the European Union. For that matter, this is specifically mentioned in the coalition agreement of the Flemish Government (NL).
What is your favourite holiday destination in Europe?
I am particularly fond of beautiful European cities such as Florence – cities that are not just charming and pretty in their own rights, but also have a history to tell. Cities which yield up some of their fascinating history on every single visit. I also find Italy very attractive for its cuisine and wonderful wines.
Likewise, I do enjoy our Belgian seaside very much. I am fond of walking, running and riding my bicycle, and there is plenty of opportunity to do just that at the seaside.
