Mónica García calls on Brussels to establish common minimum criteria for the recognition of non-EU diplomas

The Minister for Health, Mónica García, attends the Informal Meeting of Health Ministers

The first working session addressed the role of the Professional Qualifications Directives and the proportionality test in the EU legal framework. The aim of these directives is to facilitate the free movement of health professionals in Spain and throughout the EU. In our country, the majority of migrant professionals are from non-EU countries. In this regard, García believes that "minimum common criteria for the recognition of non-EU qualifications must be established" to facilitate the integration of professionals from non-EU countries.

In addition, the Minister for Health reaffirmed her commitment to the promotion of primary prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Spain: "Prevention of alcohol consumption should be a priority because it is a risk factor for NCDs, and in particular for cancer".

To this effect, Mónica García announced that she is working on a law on alcohol and minors that incorporates a public health perspective and commercial determinants of health, with the aim of developing a series of policies to effectively prevent the consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors.

To make joint progress in improving primary prevention of NCDs, García has advocated the promotion of physical activity, healthy eating and the regulation of alcohol and tobacco consumption as priority measures to be addressed at EU level.

Another priority of today's session was to address the need to improve working conditions for health workers across Europe. The Minister for Health stressed the urgency of carrying out a good diagnosis to motivate knowledge and retain talent at European level. She pointed out that "a health system that does not take care of its professionals will not be able to guarantee the health of the population".

The Minister for Health announced that on 24 April, the Alliance on Critical Medicines will be presented, "which will be key to preventing and tackling shortages of essential medicines".

Non official translation