A Midlands North West MEP says the EU must do more to promote health, particularly in terms of research in eradicating cancer and other serious illnesses.
Colm Markey has welcomed the findings of the latest Eurobarometer survey, which shows that Irish people have the most positive view of the European Parliament of any state in the EU, with a positivity rating of 62%.
However, he says that cannot be taken for granted, and the areas Irish people want to see improved must be acted on.
In particular, Mr Markey says Irish people want the effort made to tackle Covid 19 replicated with other diseases, as well as improved Europe wide strategies to improve public health………
Release in full –
Irish public want EU Parliament to do more on health
Fine Gael MEP Colm Markey has welcomed the findings of the latest Eurobarometer survey, which shows that Irish people have the most positive view of the European Parliament in the EU, and that health is a top issue they would like to see addressed. Ireland was also highest on the list of countries who believe the EU is going in the right direction, while the protection of human rights is the value they most want defended. The Midlands-North-West MEP said the findings show that the Irish people are proud Europeans but want the EU to do more on issues directly affecting their lives.
“Often, our work in Brussels is seen as distant and not relevant so I’m delighted to see that the Irish people have the most positive view of the European Parliament at 62 per cent compared to just 22 per cent in France. The study also shows that Irish citizens are the most optimistic about the future of the EU at 89 per cent. Despite some initial difficulties, the EU’s handling of the pandemic has been the best in the world and people realise the benefits of coordinated action resulting in a €750b recovery package, quick access to vaccines and the resumption of travel through a common digital cert”, he commented.
MEP Markey said we need to listen to concerns raised by respondents in the survey.
“The Irish public are clearly conscious about public health issues, given the events of the last two years and they want to see more being done at Parliament level. Health remains largely a national competence but we can still achieve a lot by working together. Research and innovation can play a big part and I believe what we did with COVID-19 we can also do with other diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer. It is also within the EU’s scope to work on improving public health through campaigns targeting obesity and drug misuse, tackling cross-border threats like anti-microbial resistance, preventing animal diseases such as BSE and mitigating risks to human health through food legislation. It’s important that we continue to engage with the public and ensure that health becomes a top priority for the European Union”, he concluded.
The full survey can be accessed below.
