The Government gives in to Junts and PNV on health matters to avoid losing another vote in Congress this Thursday

THE WORLD Madrid

Madrid

Updated Wednesday, February 28, 2024-19:49

Junts and the PNV announced this Wednesday that they are withdrawing the entire amendments they proposed against the bill creating the

State Public Health Agency

after having reached an agreement with the Government to modify the text.

As Junts pointed out in a statement, the Ministry of Health has agreed to introduce a series of modifications to the text "that protect the powers of the Generalitat in this area."

For its part, the PNV indicates that it has reached an agreement with the Government to "define" and "clarify" the project.

Junts also assures that "in the coming weeks they also plan to meet with those responsible for the Ministry of Health led by Mónica García to review the health competencies included in the Statute and that are pending transfer."

According to Junts, in this negotiation with the Ministry "it has obtained a commitment to respect the Catalan socio-health model" in the processing of the new laws promoted by the Government.

"It is a departure from the situation experienced by the previous legislature," he emphasizes.

Meanwhile, the PNV celebrates that the "power framework and the relationship between the different administrations are clarified" through an agreement that will be finalized in the parliamentary process.

This Thursday, the Plenary Session of the Congress of Deputies was scheduled to debate the amendments to the entire devolution of the parliamentary groups Junts per Catalunya and Vasco (EAJN-PNV) to the bill creating the State Public Health Agency and The General Public Health Law is modified.

This government initiative creates the State Public Health Agency to "strengthen the State's capabilities to improve the health of the population, equity in health and well-being and protect the population against health risks and threats."

Likewise, this bill also modifies the General Public Health Law to, among other issues, change the name of the public body to "State Public Health Agency", incorporate the principle of "one health" and adapt chapter I of the Title II on public health surveillance, expanding it with preparation and response actions.

"Competence invasion"

At the beginning of last week, both parliamentary groups asked to return the text on the State Public Health Agency to the Government for "invasion of powers."

For the PNV, the bill "could come into conflict with regional regulations", such as the recently approved Public Health Law of the Basque Country, as well as with powers that correspond to the CCAA.

In this same sense, for Junts, the text initially proposed by the Government "forgets" that the Generalitat, in matters of health and public health, has "exclusive competence" over the organization and internal functioning, evaluation, inspection and the control of health centers, services and establishments and pharmaceutical management.

One day before the Plenary Session of Congress held a session to debate these amendments, both groups have announced that they are withdrawing them after reaching an agreement with the Government.