Key facts
- Governments should regulate sugar, salt, alcohol, and tobacco to combat chronic diseases, according to Johannes Pleiner-Duxneuner of Austria's food and drugs agency.
- An expert panel in Germany proposed incentives for pharmaceutical companies investing locally, but funding is unresolved.
- The EU is considering higher taxes on cigarettes and minimum levies for vapes and nicotine products.
- Germany plans to implement a sugary drink tax in 2027.
- Austria is working with other countries on a pharmaceutical reimbursement model due to companies avoiding price talks.
- The German pharmaceutical incentive plan is estimated to cost €1.3 billion.
Governments in Europe are facing increasing pressure to regulate industries like food, alcohol, and tobacco to combat the rising rates of chronic diseases, according to discussions at the European Health Forum in Gastein, Austria. Johannes Pleiner-Duxneuner, managing director of the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, argued that focusing on key unhealthy ingredients such as sugar, salt, alcohol, and tobacco is more effective than getting entangled in complex debates about ultra-processed foods.
Brussels is a focal point for these prevention discussions. Lawmakers have recently clashed over the language used to describe alcohol's impact on cancer, with some suggesting that industry profits are prioritized over public health. The European Commission is also evaluating how to define ultra-processed foods and their health consequences. Furthermore, the EU is considering proposals to increase cigarette taxes and establish minimum levies for newer tobacco and nicotine products like vapes and heated tobacco.
Several countries are already implementing measures, such as sugary drink taxes, to curb consumption and address soaring obesity rates, particularly among children. The World Health Organization supports these taxes as a strong tool for promoting health. Germany is planning to introduce such a tax in 2027, and Pleiner-Duxneuner expressed support for the UK's existing sugar tax, viewing it as a scientifically sound measure for other European countries.
In Germany, an expert panel has put forward a proposal to incentivize pharmaceutical companies to invest in the country through clinical trials or manufacturing. However, a significant challenge remains in determining how to fund these incentives, which are estimated to cost around €1.3 billion. Potential funding options include higher price discounts from companies not meeting the bonus criteria, savings within the statutory health insurance system, macroeconomic benefits, or direct funding from the federal budget. The decision on financing has been deferred to the coalition parties.
Meanwhile, Austria is collaborating with countries like Belgium and the Netherlands on a reimbursement model for pharmaceuticals. This initiative stems from pharmaceutical companies increasingly withdrawing from price negotiations, opting to maintain higher prices in markets like the U.S. to avoid policies that might mirror lower European prices.