Dalli's health role gets more clout

Pharmaceutical regulation is to be shifted to the European Commission's health portfolio, which falls under Commissioner-designate John Dalli, adding more challenge and relevance to the role.

Commission President José Manuel Barroso took the decision to shift the responsibility of Pharma Policy, regulating the EU's large medicines industry, from the industry portfolio to health.

The move, called for by the health lobby for years but opposed by the strong pharmaceutical industry, will make Mr Dalli's designated portfolio stronger than it would have been from a legislative point of view. The EU's directives on drug safety and the provision of medical information are currently making their way through the European Parliament.

Mr Dalli, whose portfolio also includes consumer policy, will furthermore be responsible for the European Medicines Agency, as well as the biotechnology, pesticides and health units.

Mr Barroso's move was yesterday applauded by the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) which noted it had been advocating this move for some time.

"We are certain this change puts public interests and the health of Europeans at the centre of vital decisions affecting our health," EPHA general secretary Monika Kosinska said.

This move, she said, meant the health and consumer policy commissioner would be better equipped to lead a consistent and coherent approach to public health policy and more specifically to ensure protection of patients and safety of medicines throughout the EU.

"This bold decision by Mr Barroso demonstrates the power of political leadership and enables the Commission to fulfill its treaty responsibility as the guardian of public health," she added.

Although health and consumer affairs are very relevant to citizens' daily lives, on an EU level these two sectors were not considered to be heavyweights when it came to legislation.

The Commission is only responsible for public health and its competence is almost exclusively focused on the coordination of cross-border policies since healthcare is not covered by the EU acquis.

Instead, healthcare and the provision of related services are considered to be an issue for member states and the EU does not interfere. It has no particular legislation on how individual countries should decide to implement health polices in their countries.

The most relevant competence Mr Dalli will have in this area is more related to working with member states on common challenges, ranging from ageing populations to obesity.

The EU is also committed to taking the implications for health into account in all its policies. Since diseases know no borders, particularly in a globalised world, Mr Dalli will mainly be responsible for joint action when facing potential threats such as influenza epidemics or bioterrorism.

The EU also has common standards on safe food and nutrition labelling, the safety of medical equipment, blood products and organs, and the quality of air and water.

On the other hand, consumer policy is more widely covered by EU rules and legislation. It promotes citizens' rights to information and education, takes steps to help safeguard their interests, and encourages them to set up and run self-help consumer associations.

Mr Dalli is already getting a feel for the challenges ahead and yesterday he was in Brussels in his new temporary office meeting top officials from his assigned directorate (DG Sanco) to start forming his team.

He will have a seven member cabinet, headed by a chef-de-cabinet, normally a co-national. He will also have quite a large secretarial pool, including a personal assistant, a spokesman and two drivers.

Dr Gonzi's decision to appoint Mr Dalli to Brussels will also mean the current Social Policy Minister will have a salary and allowances of almost €2 million over the coming five years (see table). If he is approved by the European Parliament, Mr Dalli will start receiving a gross monthly salary of €19,909 and will be entitled to numerous perks together with a handsome life pension after he leaves the job.