"Health can be used as a neutral
political card for the Western Balkans' access to the EU: this
would be a way to include them in EU decisions for access to
drugs and avoid drug shortages within their countries."
WHO Europe's Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Fabio
Scano, said today in Trieste, where he attended a meeting
sponsored by WHO Europe and the Central European Initiative to
build a resilient pharmaceutical and health commodity system.
"The drug shortage we are seeing in Europe," Scano said,
"especially of generic drugs, is not only a health problem but
is increasingly becoming a national security problem because
there is a lack of basic medicines that can destabilize the
system. With the Covid experience and access to vaccines, the
Western Balkan countries, in particular, suffered because
vaccines came so late".
"For EU accession - he added - it would be desirable for the
Western Balkans to have access to European decision-making
bodies such as the European Medicines Agency and the Critical
Medical Alliance, not just as observers. This step would
stimulate the accession process in a way consistent with the
acceleration underway and the new EU growth plan for the Balkan
countries."
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