He met with Stella Kyriakides, the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Janez Lenarčič, the Commissioner for Crisis Management, Elisa Ferreira, the Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Johannes Luebking, the representative of the Recovery and Resilience Task Force operating within the framework of the Secretariat-General of the European Commission, and he also met Slovenian members in the European Parliament and Slovenian correspondents. During his visit, the Minister learned about the operations of the Slovenian Permanent Representation to the European Union.

These meetings were of an informative nature, focusing on the exchange of opinions about topical themes in the EU health policy. Minister Bešič Loredan also presented plans regarding the health and long-term care reforms.

With Commissioner Kyriakides, the Minister discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines, relating to which the Minister highlighted the flexibility when concluding contracts with vaccine manufacturers. They also spoke about vaccination and the implementation of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, which are priorities of the European Commission and the Czech Presidency of the EU Council and are supported by all Member States, including Slovenia. With regard to the EU legislative acts, the Minister expressed hope that the European Health Data Space Regulation and the proposal for a Regulation on standards of quality and safety for substances of human origin intended for human application would still be adopted in this term of the European Parliament.

The discussions with Commissioner Ferreira and Johannes Luebking, the representative of the Recovery and Resilience Task Force, concentrated on the measures implemented by the Ministry of Health with the help of funds from the European cohesion policy and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, also in connection with the activities planned regarding the health and long-term care reforms in the Republic of Slovenia.

The discourse with Commissioner Lenarčič referred to the preparedness and response to health threats, with which the operations of the HERA authority is also connected. The Minister informed the Commissioner about the current situation and management of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Slovenia, as the Ministry of Health is closely cooperating with the experts from the Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution who introduced this August the expert starting points and orientations for preparedness and response to infections with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the autumn and winter period. The discussion partners also spoke about the crisis due to the war in Ukraine and expressed the importance of European solidarity.

At the meeting with Slovenian members in the European Parliament, Minister Bešič Loredan introduced the Government’s plans in the field of health and asked for their support when adopting the EU legislative acts in the European Parliament in the co-decision procedure.