Catalan Minister for Health, Manel Balcells i Díaz, met today in Paris with the French health minster, François Braun, and the director general of the French Ministry of Health's Care Office, Marie Daudé. During his institutional trip to the French capital, Balcells also chaired the meeting of the Board of Directors of the European Group of Territorial Cooperation for the Hospital of Cerdanya (EGTC HC), which provides healthcare for people residing in the Cerdanya region and the French territory of Capcir.

During their meeting this morning, Balcells and Braun analysed the challenges of cross-border cooperation between their two territories, which led to the creation of the EGTC HC in 2010. In this regard, they pledged to work on building a forward-looking binational space of exceptional nature, in order to meet the needs of both the hospital and the area's entire health network, while also continuing to serve as a European example of healthcare management under a France-Catalonia co-governance model.

One of the most urgent challenges to be addressed is the regulation of collaboration and coordination between the two territories in situations of extraordinary medical urgency and emergency. On this point, and in order to move the proposal forward, Balcells expressed the need to explore a joint solution to the issue of standardising qualifications among professionals in the Emergency Medical System (SEM) and the Emergency Medical Assistance Service (SAMU).

Another of the challenges discussed was the drafting of policies to tackle the lack of available professionals. In connection to this, the Catalan health minister shared some of the measures being implemented in Catalonia with the French authorities, including the Plan to Attract and Retain Professionals.

During the meeting yesterday between the health minister and Maria Daudé, Balcells conveyed to her, among other issues, the importance of moving forward with the creation of a mixed financing commission to re-evaluate and explore joint proposals for the financing system.

Finally, beyond aspects related to cross-border healthcare, the two ministers agreed to share experiences between France and Catalonia on advanced therapies, integrated social and health care, and the process of digitalising health systems.