a This position was filled at the annual meeting of the European Economic and Social Committee and National Economic and Social Councils, which was held in Paris and attended by the President of the Portuguese Economic and Social Council (CES), Francisco Assis.
“There was no EU policy in the field of health (…) and at this meeting the need for greater cooperation was defended,” Francisco Assis told Lusa.
The President of the Economic and Social Council considered that the Covid-19 pandemic has led to some cooperation in the field of health among the European Union countries, but said that more improvements are needed.
Strengthening cooperation in the field of health includes, for example, cooperation in the procurement and production of medicines and in the field of public health.
According to Francisco Assis, the two-day meeting in Paris made it possible to discuss the current situation in Europe, its future, and the strengthening of its social component, that is, health.
The meeting also advocated the promotion of democracy in the European space and rapprochement with citizens.
Francisco Assis also said that the idea of creating a kind of Erasmus program linked to the Economic and Social Councils, to promote the exchange of experiences, and the opportunity for European citizens and the trade union movement to travel around Europe and learn about the various realities that exist, was launched.
At the Paris meeting, the need to deepen the European welfare state, in order to make the European Union more close, cohesive and solidarity, with greater inclusion and social justice, and the importance of the role of social partners and civil society organizations in this process, was defended.
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