In preparation for the negotiations with the EU, the Ministry of Health is actively working with various government agencies and the public sector. On 21 August, the Ministry of Health presented a roadmap of the Ministry’s actions regarding the negotiation process with the EU at a meeting of the Subcommittee on European Integration of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Health.

The meeting was opened by the Chairman of the Committee, Mykhailo Radutskyi, who stressed the importance of Ukraine’s rapid integration into the European community and the need to adapt Ukrainian legislation accordingly.

Maryna Slobodnichenko, Deputy Minister of Health for European Integration, presented the Ministry’s roadmap for preparing for negotiations with the European Union.

The Ministry’s main task now is to prepare for the screening meeting expected in February 2025 in Brussels, as well as to form a strong negotiation team to present Ukraine’s European integration achievements. To do this, the following steps need to be taken:

• to create an expert environment that will bring together the public, business, and government officials to establish a joint dialogue;
• to hold discussions involving all representatives of the government, business and the public involved in the process to form a single negotiating position – ONE VOICE;
• to determine realistic timeframes for transition periods in case of their objective necessity;
• to determine the amount of funding for the implementation and enforcement of EU acts, where necessary.

“We are at an important stage in Ukraine’s history – accession to the EU. Consolidating our efforts and moving with ONE VOICE towards the European family is a sign of the unity of the state. We have already completed a significant part of the preparatory work for joining the EU. The percentage of implementation of the Association Agreement has been increased by 13% (from 66% to 79%). Self-screening of more than 1,500 EU healthcare acts has been carried out. Healthcare issues are present in 24 out of 37 negotiating groups. This is evidence of the extensive cross-sectoral work we have already begun. We have established close cooperation with EU institutions: DG NEAR, HERA, DG SANTE, HaDEA, EMA. We have friendly relations with the EU countries, and we have already signed 8 memoranda of cooperation with the ministries of health of the EU countries. Now it is important to ensure the sustainability of the process of legislative approximation, unity of work at all levels, transparency of discussions and unequivocal confident movement forward with a deep conviction that European integration is our future,” said Maryna Slobodnichenko, Deputy Minister of Health for European Integration.

Over the past year alone, the Ministry of Health has launched the European integration reform of the pharmaceutical sector. Agreements have been signed with pharmaceutical agencies in Poland and Sweden to support Ukraine’s pharmaceutical reform. Bilateral cooperation on European integration has been established with France, Poland, Germany, Romania, Sweden, Denmark, and Moldova. Thanks to the support of the Ukrainian parliamentary corps, in particular, the members of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Health, cooperation with the SANT subcommittee in the European Parliament was established. The Ministry of Health and representatives of Ukrainian pharmaceutical manufacturers were included in the Critical Medicine Alliance, which allows them to join critical procurement programmes.

The Ministry of Health has also signed an agreement with DG SANTE to join the European Reference Network, an IT system specialising in rare diseases. The European Commission has approved three TAIEX projects (medical devices, cosmetics, biocides) for the Ministry of Health and has already launched two Twinning projects (to establish a state control body in the pharmaceutical industry and on cross-border threats).

In addition, the Ministry of Health and the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control are included in the European Medicines Agency’s working groups (on GMP, good clinical practice (GCP, GMDP and PhV IWGs (on pharmacovigilance)).