Macron’s feminist(ish) diplomacy

Editorial word: Macron’s mysterious choices over French feminist diplomacy

By Clara Bauer-Babef

When he was first elected in 2017, French president Emmanuel Macron said – and repeated many times – that gender equality would be the “great cause” of his mandate. But six years later, French feminist diplomacy has never been so ambiguous. 

In some respects, France is doing well. Paris is leading the charge among EU countries in ensuring safe and equal access to abortion for every woman. Indeed, Macron even said he was willing to establish the right to abortion in constitutional law, and a first draft of the bill is expected by the end of the year. France would be the first EU member state to do so, a far cry from the restrictive policies of Poland or Malta where abortion is all but forbidden. 

On the other hand, France has maintained a very conservative position on the directive on violence against women, presented by the Commission on 8 March 2022, on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The country is opposing the inclusion of the definition of rape based on consent, alongside countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany and Hungary. 

NGOs and advocacy groups seem split on France’s efforts towards “feminist diplomacy”. The European Women’s lobby has recently criticised France’s and Germany’s positions on the violence against women directive by saying “We cannot let them succeed”. The French Fondation des Femmes described Macron’s adding of the abortion law to the constitution as a “victory”. The French National Consultative Commission for Human Rights (CNCDH) welcomed his announcement, too – but strongly criticised his position on the EU directive. 

So far, the great feminist diplomatic promises of Macron’s administration have not quite translated into the panacea he pledged. While his priorities are seemingly patchy and unclear, one thing is evident: whatever his government pushes or sidelines, it is women who will shoulder the weight of the consequences.

EU News

• • The European Commission and the European Medicines Agency publish the first EU list of critical medicines
  • MEPs approve final agreement on European Medicines Agency fees
  • MEPs approve mental health report
• The European Commission and the European Medicines Agency have published the first EU list of critical medicines. The idea is to help do a vulnerability assessment of the products, look at the security of the supply chain and identify the weaknesses. This first list contains more than 200 active substances used in human medicines, considered essential in the EU/EEA. The European Commission explained in a press release that a medicine is listed as critical when it is essential to ensure the provision and the continuity of quality healthcare and to guarantee a high level of public health protection in Europe.  The press release stresses that being on the list does not mean that a medicine is likely to experience a shortage in the near future, but highlights the critical importance of avoiding shortages of these specific medicines, as “their unavailability could cause significant harm to patients and pose substantial challenges to health systems”. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday during the 2023 HERA Conference: “Together we will then identify the best measures to address and avoid shortages, from diversification and de-risking to increase manufacturing in Europe.”
  Marta Iraola has more on this here.
• MEPs approve final agreement on European Medicines Agency fees. MEPs voted on the final agreement on the regulation of the European Medicines Agency (EMA)’s fee system with a large majority, by 562 for, 35 against and six abstentions, during the plenary session on Tuesday. The updated rules, aiming for more transparency and more flexibility in the fee system, were reached following the trialogue on the 25 September with the Spanish Presidency. “The new regulation is a way to establish a predictable and cost-based financing system for the EMA that is at the same time flexible and agile. However, costs should reflect the hours worked in order to ensure world-class pharmaceutical supervision in the EU,” the parliament’s rapporteur on the file, Romanian lawmaker Cristian-Silviu Bușoi from EPP told Euractiv after the vote. “The Union’s supervisory system for medicinal products and medical devices depends both on the agency’s expertise at central level and on the willingness of National Competent Authorities (NCAs) to assist the EMA as rapporteurs, co-rapporteurs and coordinators,” he said. “We should not only seek to simplify the current legal framework, but also to secure proper funding for both the EMA and NCAs. We also aim to ensure the fee system is adaptable for the future by safeguarding regulatory flexibility,” he concluded.
• MEPs approve mental health report. In a plenary vote on Tuesday (12 December), MEPs voted in favour of an own-initiative report on mental health action particularly focused on the identification of vulnerable populations. The report, led by rapporteur Sara Cerdas (S&D), was backed by a wide majority of 482 in favour, 94 against, and 32 abstentions. Almost two weeks ago, EU ministers approved a series of recommendations to tackle mental health following the European Commission’s presentation of their “comprehensive approach to mental health” in June. Cerdas’ report called for more direct funding in order to match the scale of today’s mental health challenges across Europe.
  Amalie Holmgaard Mersh has more here.

News from the Capitals

BERLIN
Germany is considering an export ban on Ozempic, an antidiabetic medicine that has been flying off the shelves in pharmacies not only for its effectiveness in managing glucose levels of people living with Type 2 Diabetes but also for its weight-loss properties. Read more.

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STOCKHOLM
Sweden explores increased state control over healthcare. Can a full or partial nationalisation of the health services be a cure for Sweden’s health care crisis? A Swedish parliamentary investigative committee is now trying to find an answer. Read more.

Stockholm looks for perfect balance in EU pharma package. Sweden’s government wants to strike a balance between ensuring access to medicines for all patients and creating the best conditions for the research and development of new drugs, according to statements made during a recent public hearing. Read more.

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ATHENS
Greek NHS fails to meet mission due to mismanagement, study shows. The Greek National Health System (NHS) has failed to meet its mission due to significant mismanagement, a new policy paper published by the influential Greek think tank diaNEOsis reveals. Read more.

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SOFIA
Bulgaria’s health system in critical state due to staff shortage. Bulgaria has just under 29,000 nurses, some 16,900 less than is needed for the health system to function normally, according to a study by the Bulgarian Council for Economic Analyses, leading to a critical situation in many parts of the system, putting patients at risk. Read more.

[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]

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