“I am rather disappointed. The Vice President-designate of the European Commission Teresa Ribera has not recognized the signs of the times. She spoke as if there was neither an economic crisis nor a war nor a changed majority in the European Parliament," said the environmental policy spokesman for the largest group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats), Dr. Peter Liese, following the hearing of the Vice President-designate of the European Commission and acting Environment Minister of Spain, Teresa Ribera.
The designated Health Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi made clear commitments regarding the revision of medical devices during his hearing before the European Parliament's Committee on Environment and Public Health. "In response to my question, he assured me that, following Parliament's demand, he could implement targeted changes through for example delegated acts by the first quarter of next year. Additionally, he has committed to submitting a comprehensive proposal to revise all problematic articles by 2025. This represents a major success for the European Parliament and, most importantly, for patients," stated Dr. Peter Liese, health policy spokesperson for the largest group in the European Parliament, the EPP-Christian Democrats.
“After Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential elections, the European Union is now even more important than ever in international climate policy. The EU has always been a pioneer in international climate negotiations and, precisely because there is currently no government capable of acting in France, Germany and many other EU countries, it is good that climate policy at the international level is not shaped by the member states, but by the EU. However, we cannot bear the burden alone when it comes to financing and reducing emissions. In the future we will have to pay much more attention to the competitiveness of our economy, especially industry, small and medium-sized businesses and agriculture," said the environmental policy spokesman for the largest group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats), Dr. Peter Liese in view of the start of the climate conference in Baku.
The European Parliament is urging swift amendments to the controversial Medical Devices Regulation. In the plenary session in Strasbourg, the Parliament passed a text by a large majority, calling on the Commission to make targeted changes in the first quarter of 2025 to address the most pressing challenges. A proposal that outlined a clear timetable for a comprehensive revision of all problematic articles was blocked by the Social Democrats, Liberals and Greens, as some oppose any revision in principle, while others found the timeline too "ambitious."
Read more: European Parliament urges swift changes to the Medical Devices Regulation