At the session of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, Head of the Croatian EPP delegation in the European Parliament, Dubravka Šuica, participated in an exchange of views in the framework of a structured dialogue with Vytenis Andriukaitis, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety.
 
˝I support your stance that you will not make concessions at the expense of health and food safety, however, the fact is that we have not harmonized the European market, while we are already negotiating with the US on the transatlantic trade agreement (TTIP), with the aim of opening new markets. The priority is a harmonized European market and it is evident, especially in the example of Croatia, that lower category foods often end up on our tables. These products that have different properties on their labels can also cause health problems, so I am therefore interested what measures the Commission plans to take in order to reduce the differences between EU citizens in order to avoid any discrimination?˝, asked Šuica.
 
Andriukaitis was asked a slew of questions related to food safety and the preservation of health. He emphasized that his main goals are the so-called 3P, rather promotion, protection, and prevention and that participation should also be added to this in order to achieve added value. With this approach, he primarily wants to influence the reduction of the mortality rate and he plans to achieve this by combating risk factors so that health issues are integrated into all policy areas.
 
In response to questions, he emphasized results and answered that he would aim to concentrate more on the implementation of directives in the field and to refer the Commission to more frequent revisions related to food quality and safety, and that he considers it unacceptable that citizens of certain Member States, and thus the Republic of Croatia, be discriminated against.