Martine Deprez, Luxembourg Minister for Health and Social Security;
Credit: M3S
On Tuesday 2 December 2025, the Health Ministers of the European Union (EU) met in Brussels for the informal EPSCO Council (Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs) in its Health configuration. Martine Deprez, Luxembourg Minister for Health and Social Security, took part in the meeting to discuss major issues affecting the health of EU citizens.
According to the Luxembourg Ministry of Health and Social Security, Minister Deprez backed the Council’s position on creating a Critical Medicines Act. This act aims to prevent shortages and guarantee patients in the EU fast access to essential medicines, especially in times of crisis. She congratulated the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU for securing a common position among the Member States.
Minister Deprez stated: "In the current context, we believe the European Union must adopt a shared policy that strengthens supply chains for critical medicines, so that every citizen can access the right medicine at any time within the EU. This proposal clearly fills a gap that we urgently needed to address."
During the working lunch, ministers discussed how new tobacco and nicotine products affect children and young people. The ministry noted that this issue has become increasingly relevant as the rapid rise of e-cigarettes and other emerging tobacco or nicotine products poses a serious threat to youth tobacco-control efforts.
Moreover, delegations also received updates on the progress of negotiations on the pharmaceutical package, the outcomes of the ongoing negotiations within the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control at the Conference of the Parties in Geneva in mid-November and the EU’s recently published Plan for Prevention, Preparedness and Response.
