Health minister warns against Trump's threat to European healthcare in Labour Day speech
Health and Social Affairs minister Frank Vandenbroucke has criticised US president Donald Trump for threatening the European healthcare system. He did so at the socialist Labour Day event in Leuven, organised by the political party Vooruit, trade union ABVV and health insurance fund Solidaris.
"He is not merely an opponent of Europe; he hates the welfare states we have built here," Vandenbroucke said. "Trump hates the way we work together in Europe and how we think about democracy and solidarity."
Vandenbroucke warned that the Trump administration is actively targeting Europe's approach to medicines and healthcare funding. The US is pushing for higher drug prices in Europe because Trump believes that European countries currently pay too little to the pharmaceutical industry, the minister said.
"[Trump] is not merely an opponent of Europe; he hates the welfare states we have built here"
"The way we in Europe, and certainly in Belgium, deal with medicines and the pharmaceutical industry, our model of health insurance and medicines policy - the Trump administration wants to do away with this system."
Vandenbroucke also defended Belgium's system of collective drug reimbursement, under which any approved medicine is accessible to all patients regardless of income. "That is why we negotiate hard with the pharmaceutical industry to keep their prices low," he said.
Welfare state requires budget cuts
The minister acknowledged that preserving that system requires difficult choices in the weeks and months ahead. He defended the government's controversial austerity measures on the grounds that Belgium cannot simultaneously carry one of Europe's worst budget deficits and aspire to maintain one of its most generous welfare states.
Vandenbroucke also argued that Vooruit's proposed millionaire's tax is the key to restoring Belgium's public finances. The tax is straightforward in design and represents a fair contribution from those who possess significant wealth, he said. "If we want to distribute the burden fairly, then this must be put on the table."
© BELGA PHOTO JORIS SMETS
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