8:e valperioden Ivo VAJGL

. ‒ I voted in favour of the Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context. In the European Union, cross-border regions make up approximately 40% of the Union’s territory, while harbouring almost a third of its 512 million citizens. At the same time, border regions in Europe generally perform less well economically, have higher unemployment rates and have relatively underdeveloped infrastructure compared to regions that are more centrally located in the Member States.
It has been estimated that if 20% of existing border obstacles were to be removed, border regions would gain 2% in GDP, amounting to approximately EUR 91 billion per year in GDP. In their past, many border regions in Europe have been stages of war and conflict between countries. For those reasons, the Lisbon Treaty in Article 174 not only lists economic and social cohesion as its explicit objectives, but also territorial cohesion (with particular attention to cross-border regions). The proposed European cross-border mechanism (ECBM) aims to resolve cross-border obstacles of a legal or administrative nature.

I voted in favour of the Report on the draft Council implementing decision approving the conclusion by Eurojust of the Agreement on Cooperation between Eurojust and Georgia. The Eurojust-Georgia Cooperation Agreement follows the model of similar agreements concluded by Eurojust in the past (for example, Eurojust-FYROM, Eurojust-US, Eurojust-Norway, Eurojust-Switzerland, and most recently Eurojust-Albania).
The purpose of such agreements is to foster cooperation as regards combating serious crime, especially organised crime and terrorism. They provide, inter alia, for liaison officers, contact points and exchange of information. Such cooperation agreements are based on Article 26a(2) of the Council Decision 2002/187/JHA of 28 February 2002 setting up Eurojust with a view to reinforcing the fight against serious crime.
Such cooperation will also aid Georgian authorities to ensure continuous fulfilment of their obligations, and their serious commitment, to preventing and fighting organised crime.

I voted in favour of the Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on health technology assessment and amending Directive 2011/24/EU. The fundamental aim of the proposal is to introduce a joint clinical assessment of health technologies at EU level. EU citizens value their health highly, as Eurobarometer surveys have repeatedly shown. As the TFEU recognises, improvements to citizens’ health must be a political priority for the EU in all its actions, but particularly in areas which have a specific bearing on health. The right to health is a fundamental right. It is important to the integrity of the individual and to personal development, but also as a key factor in social cohesion and productivity. The welfare system, which is one of the defining features of the EU, where healthcare systems play a crucial role in society, makes it possible to achieve high standards of health in the EU. The proposal may also help to further cooperation in emerging fields, such as precision medicine, disinvestment in obsolete technology and the preparation of clinical practice guidelines.