EU Health Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, in a structured dialogue with the European Parliament's SANT committee on 3 June 2026, defended mainstreaming women's health through existing strategies rather than creating a dedicated one, while opening EU funding for abortion access under national competence. She framed health preparedness as a security issue tied to the next EU budget, stockpiling, and civil protection, and argued that Ebola and hantavirus posed very low risk to Europe, deeming border closures unjustified.
MEPs diverged on several points. Christophe Clergeau (S&D) and Catarina Martins (The Left) pushed for a specific women's health strategy, while Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP) called for a One Health resilience analysis. Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu (Renew) highlighted disinformation in Romania, and Stine Bosse (Renew) questioned funding adequacy. Margarita De La Pisa Carrión (PfE) linked strained national systems to open borders. On skin diseases, experts Aleksandra Lesiak and Alexander Stratigos urged EU action, citing 185 million affected Europeans and overwhelming evidence against sunbeds as class 1 carcinogens. Stratigos criticized fragmented regulation—only 18 member states ban sunbeds for minors—and called for resumed Commission work, bans for minors, and prevention campaigns. Consensus emerged on the need for cross-border coordination, stronger action on women's health, combating disinformation, and treating skin diseases as serious public health issues. Next steps include continued committee scrutiny and a later exchange on Ebola.