Dr. Vytenis Andriukaitis:

I wish to say to the Chairman, Vice Chairman and honourable members of the committee go raibh maith agaibh for giving me this opportunity to exchange views with the committee on health policy in Europe and share some of my ideas for the years to come.

As members may know, in my previous life I was a member of the Lithuanian Parliament for six consecutive mandates so I naturally think dialogue with national parliaments is very important. There are many parallels between Ireland and Lithuania. I would like to mention Lithuania but instead I shall call it the country that I know best because I am now a Commissioner. This country which I know best is similar to Ireland and both countries are of a similar size. We are close to our bigger neighbours even though we have different opportunities, practices and experiences as nations. We are also mostly a Catholic country but there are other religions, as in France. A great number of Lithuanians live in Ireland. One of the most famous pop stars in Lithuania is Irish and sang for us in the Eurovision Song Contest. We are very happy to have such an excellent Irish singer. Last but not least, our two countries have shaped the policy of the EU during our Presidencies in 2013. Today, I would like to say thanks for Ireland's support. When Ireland, Lithuania and Greece worked together we followed Ireland's good advice. Ireland was our coach and we studied its experiences, learned from it and followed its steps. For example, on tobacco issues we were successful only because we worked together.

However, I am here to speak about an issue that is central to the future of all EU citizens, that is, the issue of health. I am well aware that the formulation of national health policies is for each of the 28 EU member states to decide. The Union's role is to complement national actions where possible and add value where it is appropriate and beneficial to do so. The EU has also a decisive role to play in the field of public health and food safety.

Member states share many similar health challenges. We know them well. They include tobacco, alcohol, nutrition, physical inactivity, infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, suicide rates and children's health. In my presentation, there is a slide on life expectancy in the European Union and how significant are the differences between the central and eastern part of the European Union and the western part. Of course, Ireland is green. My job, as European Commissioner, is to follow good examples and make more green this part of European Union. I have only five years in office. I ask the committee to join our forces to see our continent become more Irish, more green.

We can clearly see the inequalities in health status, both across and within countries. The slide portraying life expectancy in the EU shows social determinants in health, both within and between countries. There are 29 million European Union citizens in poverty, which means they have less possibilities to be healthier and less possibilities to have better access to health, and, of course, they suffer more. My job is to make this map greener.

I want to ensure that the European Union instruments help member states close the gaps in the area of health. President Junker presented his investment plan. I would like to present an investment plan for health. The logic behind this is clear – economic benefits arise from having a healthy society. Evidence-based prevention results in increased productivity and improved quality of life. A great deal can be achieved through increased co-operation between all 28 states.

Ireland has a few good examples of initiatives that could inspire other member states, and I will mention a few. I would like to start with tobacco and alcohol. As the committee will be aware, there is a specific line in Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union referring to "the measures which have as their direct objective the protection of public health regarding tobacco and the abuse of alcohol". We need to work together to put this part of the treaty into action.

A slide in the presentation shows the country best in alcohol consumption in the first position. Ireland is fifth. On tobacco consumption, one sees the same picture in which we must act together. My job is to support member states to introduce measures which are more effective at reducing the use of both tobacco and alcohol. Smoking rates in Ireland are slightly higher than the EU average but Ireland responds with a strong and committed policy and has even introduced as a goal a tobacco-free Ireland by 2025. This is excellent. I congratulate Ireland-----