Mónica García stengthens bilateral cooperation in public health and obesity prevention at the Spanish-Portuguese Summit

The Minister for Health, Mónica García, and the Minister for Health of the Portuguese Republic, Ana Paula Martins, during the signing of the bilateral agreements

The Minister for Health, Mónica García, travelled to La Rábida (Huelva) to participate in the Spanish-Portuguese Summit, where she held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Health of the Portuguese Republic, Ana Paula Martins. Within the framework of this high-level meeting, both countries signed two memoranda of understanding aimed at strengthening health cooperation between Spain and Portugal.

The first agreement aims to promote cooperation, the exchange of experiences and best practices in epidemiological, environmental, and entomological surveillance; and research on vector-borne diseases. and preparedness and response to public health emergencies.

Planned activities include the methodological harmonisation of epidemiological surveillance systems, the promotion of joint training and the exchange of experts, the implementation of joint cross-border simulation exercises, and the establishment of alert mechanisms for the rapid notification between both countries of public health threats in the context of vector-borne diseases.

The second agreement, also signed by the Minister for Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda, Pablo Bustinduy, establishes a framework for cooperation between the two countries to promote adequate, healthy, and sustainable nutrition and the prevention and treatment of obesity, especially childhood obesity.

It includes the exchange of best practices, technical knowledge, and experiences in public nutrition policies, food reformulation, food advertising, healthy taxation, breastfeeding, and food environments in public centres. It also provides for joint research, training activities, public policy evaluation, and joint projects.

The signing of these agreements will strengthen bilateral cooperation in strategic areas of public health and consolidate coordination between the two countries in the face of shared challenges, both in the field of health emergencies and in the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases.

Non official translation