Ursula von der Leyen

President of the European Commission

Mission letter

Brussels, 1 December 2019

Stella Kyriakides

Commissioner for Health and Food Safety

Dear Stella,

Earlier this year, the people of Europe made their voices heard in record numbers at the
European elections. They presented us with a mission to be decisive and ambitious on the
big issues of our time that are shaping the future of our society, economy and planet.

Changes in climate, digital technologies and geopolitics are already having a profound
effect on the lives of Europeans. We are witnessing major shifts all the way from global
power structures to local politics. While these transformations may be different in nature,
we must show the same ambition and determination in our response. What we do now will
determine what kind of world our children live in and will define Europe’s place in the world.

Our job as the European Commission will be to lead, to grasp the opportunities and to
tackle the challenges that these changes present, working hand in hand with people from
across Europe and with the governments, parliaments and institutions that serve them.

This is the guiding principle behind my Political Guidelines for the next European
Commission 2019-2024, which I presented to the European Parliament on 16 July 2019. I
outlined six headline ambitions on which I want the European Commission’s work to focus.
These priorities are interlocking and are part of the same picture. In this spirit, I have put
together a College in which we will all work, decide and deliver together.

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An open and inclusive way of working
This approach reflects the open, inclusive and cooperative way of working that I will instil
throughout the Commission, as well as in our relationships with others.

The College: One team

The European Commission functions on the principle of collegiality. This means we are
one team: we all work together following a whole-of-government approach, we all have our
say, we all decide collectively and we all take ownership of what is agreed.

To help us deliver on our ambitions and commitments, I will empower eight Vice-
Presidents to steer and coordinate thematic Commissioners’ Groups on each of the
Commission’s priorities. They will be supported in this role by the Secretariat-General. All
Commissioners will be in one or more Groups. The Commissioner for Budget and
Administration will report directly to me.

Of the eight Vice-Presidents, the three Executive Vice-Presidents will have a dual
function. As Vice-Presidents, they will lead a Commissioners’ Group and be supported by
the Secretariat-General. In addition, they will also manage a policy area and have a
Directorate-General under their authority for this part of their job. One of the three
Executives, First Vice-President Timmermans, will chair the College in my absence.

The High Representative/Vice-President will support me in coordinating the external

dimension of all Commissioners’ work. To ensure our external action becomes more
strategic and coherent, it will be systematically discussed and decided on by the College. To
support this, all services and Cabinets will prepare the external aspects of College meetings
on a weekly basis, mirroring the process already in place for interinstitutional relations. This
should also better align the internal and external aspects of our work. This will be a
‘Geopolitical Commission’.

I believe that we need to speak and listen more to one another, starting from within
the Commission. College meetings will be places of open and honest discussion. As
President I will set the agenda, but all College decisions will be taken collectively. In line
with our commitment to fully digitalise the Commission and the need to use resources
conscientiously, College meetings will be paperless and digital.

Each Commissioner will ensure the delivery of the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals within their policy area. The College as a whole will be responsible for
the overall implementation of the Goals.

Interinstitutional relations and better policy making

Along with our close relations with the Council, I want to strengthen the Commission’s
special partnership with the European Parliament. This priority must cut through the
work of each Member of the College, starting with myself.

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I will expect you to ensure the European Parliament is regularly briefed, notably before
major events and at key stages of international negotiations. In light of my support for a
right of initiative for the Parliament, you should work closely with the relevant Committees,
and be active and present during the preparation of resolutions requesting that the
Commission legislate.

The more we build a consensus when designing policy, the quicker it can become law and
make a difference to people’s lives. This is why we need an open and cooperative
approach throughout the legislative process, from policy design to final agreement. I
will expect you to attend all political negotiations, known as trilogue meetings, with the
other institutions.

We need to ensure that regulation is targeted, easy to comply with and does not add
unnecessary regulatory burdens. The Commission must always have the leeway to act
where needed. At the same time, we must send a clear signal to citizens that our policies
and proposals deliver and make life easier for people and for businesses.

In this spirit, the Commission will develop a new instrument to deliver on a ‘One In, One
Out’ principle. Every legislative proposal creating new burdens should relieve people and
businesses of an equivalent existing burden at EU level in the same policy area. We will
also work with Member States to ensure that, when transposing EU legislation, they do not
add unnecessary administrative burdens.

Proposals must be evidence based, widely consulted upon and subject to an impact
assessment reviewed by the independent Regulatory Scrutiny Board. You will ensure that
they respect the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity and show the clear
benefit of European action.

Given that any legislation is only as good as its implementation, I want you to focus on
the application and enforcement of EU law within your field. You should provide
support and continuous guidance to Member States on implementation, and be ready to
take swift action if EU law is breached.

Bringing Europe closer to home

I want to strengthen the links between people and the institutions that serve
them, to narrow the gap between expectation and reality and to communicate about what
Europe is doing.

We must engage with all Europeans, not just those who live in the capitals or are
knowledgeable about the European Union. I will expect you to visit every Member State
within the first half of our mandate at the latest. You should meet regularly with
national parliaments and take part in Citizens’ Dialogues across our Union, notably as part
of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

A stronger relationship with citizens starts with building trust and confidence. I will insist on
the highest levels of transparency and ethics for the College as a whole. There can be
no room for doubt about our behaviour or our integrity. The Code of Conduct for
Commissioners sets out the standards and the rules to follow.

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You will ensure budgetary spending represents value for taxpayers and follows the
principles of sound financial management.

Making the most of our potential

The College which takes office today is the most gender-balanced to date. It makes
good on my pledge to put together a Commission that is more representative and draws on
all of our potential. This is a good start, but there is plenty more work to be done.

I expect you to draw on all of Europe’s talents when it comes to setting up your own
Cabinets. That means striking an appropriate balance in terms of gender, experience and
geography.

The Commission should also lead by example when it comes to ensuring better
representation and a diversity of voices in our public life. With this in mind, all public events
organised by the Commission should aim to feature gender-balanced panels and a broad
range of perspectives from across Europe.

Your mission
I would like to entrust you with the role of Commissioner for Health and Food
Safety.

Europeans expect the peace of mind that comes with access to healthcare, safe food to
eat and protection against epidemics and diseases. Europe has some of the world’s
highest standards on animal and plant health, as well as the most affordable, accessible
and high-quality health systems to deliver on these expectations.

At the same time, we are becoming an older society and need more complex and
expensive treatments. This brings into sharp focus the need to support the health sector
and the professionals working within it, to invest in new technologies, to promote healthy
lifestyles and to cooperate better within the EU.

Protecting and promoting public health

Your task over the next five years is to support Member States in constantly improving
the quality and sustainability of their health systems. You should find ways to improve
information, expertise and the exchange of best practices for the benefit of society as a
whole.

 I want you to look at ways to help ensure Europe has the supply of affordable
medicines to meet its needs. In doing so, you should support the European
pharmaceutical industry to ensure that it remains an innovator and world leader.

 I want you to focus on the effective implementation of the new regulatory

framework on medical devices to protect patients and ensure it addresses new
and emerging challenges.

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  We need to make the most of the potential of e-health to provide high-quality
healthcare and reduce inequalities. I want you to work on the creation of a
European Health Data Space to promote health-data exchange and support
research on new preventive strategies, as well as on treatments, medicines,
medical devices and outcomes. As part of this, you should ensure citizens have
control over their own personal data.

 Many of today’s epidemics are linked to the rise or return of highly infectious
diseases. I want you to focus on the full implementation of the European One
Health Action Plan against Antimicrobial Resistance and work with our
international partners to advocate for a global agreement on the use of and
access to antimicrobials.

 I want you to prioritise communication on vaccination, explaining the benefits

and combating the myths, misconceptions and scepticism that surround the issue.

 I want you to put forward Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan to support Member
States to improve cancer prevention and care. This should propose actions to
strengthen our approach at every key stage of the disease: prevention, diagnosis,
treatment, life as a cancer survivor and palliative care. There should be a close
link with the research mission on cancer in the future Horizon Europe programme.

Food safety and animal and plant health

Your work on food safety, animal welfare and plant health will play an important role in
delivering on the European Green Deal.

 I want you to lead on a new ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy for sustainable food. This
will cover every step in the food chain from production to consumption, and feed
into our circular economy objectives. It should combine regulation with
communication and awareness campaigns and have full buy-in from local, regional
and sectoral actors, as well as Member States and European institutions.

 As part of delivering on our zero-pollution ambition and ‘Farm to Fork’

strategy, I want you to work on protecting plant health, reducing dependency on
pesticides and stimulating the take-up of low-risk and non-chemical
alternatives. You should help protect citizens from exposure to endocrine
disruptors.

 Part of your work will be to focus on improving consumer information, notably

by looking at ways to address demands for more visible and complete
information, especially on the health and sustainability of food products.

 Animal health and welfare is a moral, health and economic imperative. You
will ensure Europe is equipped to prevent and fight against animal diseases that
can be transmitted. You should also ensure the enforcement of animal welfare
legislation, review our current strategy and promote European standards globally.

 I want you to focus on the implementation and enforcement of the

extensive legislation in the areas of food safety and animal and plant health.

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 Audits will be a crucial tool for this, notably to ensure that food imports meet our
safety standards.

 You should work with the Member States to develop a strategy with concrete
measures against food fraud, drawing on the work of the European Anti-Fraud
Office in this area.

As a rule, you will work under the guidance of the Executive Vice-President for the
European Green Deal on food safety, animal and plant health, and the Vice-President for
Promoting our European Way of Life on public health matters. The Directorate-General for
Health and Food Safety will support you in your work.

The way forward

The mission outlined above is not exhaustive or prescriptive. Other opportunities and
challenges will no doubt appear over the course of the next five years. On all of these
issues, I will ask you to work closely with me, and with other Members of the College.

Once there is more clarity, we should be ready to pave the way for an ambitious and
strategic partnership with the United Kingdom.

I look forward to working closely together at what is an exciting and testing time for our
Union. You can of course count on my full personal and political support throughout our
mandate.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Ursula von der Leyen

President of the European Commission