Sixth informal EaP meeting concludes in Tbilisi

The sixth informal meeting of Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries, bringing together European Union (EU) and regional high representations, has concluded in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi today.

The event gave participants the opportunity to reflect on the progress made within the areas of cooperation agreed at the EU Riga Summit in May 2015, and to share preliminary views on the results of the reviewed European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP).

It also allowed an exchange on latest foreign policy evolutions of common interest, including security challenges in the region.

On another note, Commissioners and Health Ministers of the six EaP countries had the chance to elaborate on common challenges and responses on health cooperation, including cross-border threats to health.

Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Vytenis Andriukaitis, EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety and Helga Schmid, Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service, as well as Ministers and high level officials of the six EaP countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine - participated in the occasion.

The EU official dedicated a tweet to the event:

Addressing Health ministers at #EaP Informal Dialogue: Diseases do not recognise borders, smart+joint action needed! pic.twitter.com/tOA07l0pjN

— Johannes Hahn (@JHahnEU) November 26, 2015

In his opening remarks Hahn said such meetings "encouraged more extensive cooperation and dialogue between the six partners on sectoral issues.”

Speaking about health issues the EU top official stressed "access for all to high quality health care was proven to contribute not only to individual people’s health but also to economic growth of countries.”

We are faced with complex and common challenges when it comes to cross-border threats to health. We do have a joint health security interest especially in the context of increased travel and trade flows which bring great benefits but also enhance the risk of cross-border spread of communicable diseases.

Therefore, investing in resilient and sustainable health systems and promoting public health is essential for the development of human capital. It also fosters more prosperous societies in our countries," he said.

It is crucial that we focus our collaborative efforts to reinforce prevention, control and our preparedness to respond rapidly and effectively to common health threats." Hahn added €41 million had been spent by the EU on more than 40 projects between 2007 and 2013 to address local health issues.

Addressing the same health topics Georgia’s Health Minister Davit Sergeenko said Georgia’s health reforms "have been positively assessed by Georgia’s partners.”

The Minister stressed that his ministry was working on an action plan on how to make over-the-counter medicines more available for the public. He added the Government covered all the cost medicines at hospitals and other health institutions.