Committee on Health of the Nation Discussed Implementation of European Commission Benchmarks in Healthcare and Plan for Preparation of European Integration Bills
The state of implementation of European Commission benchmarks in healthcare and the plan for preparing European integration bills. These issues were discussed at a meeting of the Subcommittee on European Integration of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Health of the Nation, Medical Care and Medical Insurance.
The meeting was attended by members of parliament who are subcommittee members, Deputy Ministers of Health of Ukraine Vasyl Strilka, Yevhenii Honchar and Ihor Kuzin, representatives of the Ukrainian Transplant Coordination Center, the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control, the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, and business associations.
Currently, preparations are underway for a separate meeting of the Ukrainian delegation with the European Commission, scheduled for November 5, 2026. As part of these preparations, a presentation by the ministry was heard regarding the status of benchmark implementation across each area: drug policy, tobacco control, cross-border healthcare, SoHO, medicinal products, cosmetic products, medical devices, public health, and medical services.
One of the key conditions of the European Commission is the launch of the Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Agency starting in January of next year, in accordance with the law drafted by the Committee.
The new body is to exercise state regulation in the field of medicinal products and medical devices in accordance with European standards. A separate area of its activity is to ensure regulatory control in the field of substances of human origin (SoHO).
In the near future, the Government plans to approve the composition of the competition commission to select the Head of the Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Agency. With the support of the European Commission, Ukraine is accelerating the process of establishing the agency.
In particular, a Twinning project has been implemented since October of last year, within which a consortium of experts from Lithuania, Poland, and Germany is working. The Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Agency is expected to start operations on January 1, 2027.
A number of European integration bills in the healthcare sector have already been registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, in particular:
bill reg. no. 15514 on new psychoactive substances;
bill reg. no. 15542 on cross-border healthcare;
bill reg. no. 12091 on the ban on visible placement of tobacco products in retail locations.
The Committee expects the Government to register the bill on substances of human origin (SoHO), which is currently being developed by the Ministry of Health.
Also, in the near future, the re-registration in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of two important European integration bills is expected, concerning biosafety and biocides, which the Government must resubmit to parliament.
Regarding the government bills under reg. nos. 15542 and 15514, the Committee has already reviewed them at its meeting and recommended that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopt them as a basis.
The information from the Ministry of Health regarding the status of implementation of Ukraine's European integration obligations in the healthcare sector was taken into account. Based on the discussion, further steps were determined to ensure Ukraine's fulfillment of its assumed obligations and the continuation of work on approximating Ukraine's legislation to European Union law.
