Olivér Várhelyi is the new Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare for the European Commission

Olivér Várhelyi is a Hungarian lawyer and diplomat who has been appointed as the European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare in the von der Leyen Commission II, effective December 1, 2024.

He previously held the position of European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement from 2019 to 2024, following the rejection of László Trócsányi by the European Parliament. Várhelyi earned a Master of European Legal Studies from Aalborg University in Denmark in 1994 and completed his Law degree at the University of Szeged in 1996.

Born in Szeged in 1972, Várhelyi has built a career focused on European law and policy, specializing in issues related to EU integration.

As the Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi’s role is to help complete the European Health Union. His efforts will focus on diversifying supply chains, enhancing access to advanced treatments, and strengthening the competitiveness, resilience, and security of health systems, while also working on strategic inventories.

Várhelyi is tasked with promoting the One Health approach, which recognizes the interconnectedness of humans, animals, plants, and the environment.

His responsibilities include:

• Proposing a Critical Medicines Act to address severe shortages of medicines and medical devices and reduce dependencies.
• Leading the reform of EU pharmaceutical legislation.
• Overseeing the creation of a new European Biotech Act to foster innovation in health technology assessments, clinical trials, and more.
• Ensuring the availability and competitiveness of medical devices.
• Strengthening efforts on preventive health, such as advancing the European Beating Cancer Plan and revising tobacco legislation.
• Continuing the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and collaborating with Member States to meet the 2030 targets.
• Preparing an EU action plan on the cybersecurity of hospitals and healthcare providers.
• Finalizing the European Health Data Space and making proposals to expand genome sequencing capabilities.
• Leading an EU-wide investigation into the impact of social media on well-being.
• Modernizing animal welfare rules, including regulating the import of exotic animals.
• Proposing initiatives to prevent and reduce food waste.
• Enforcing food safety standards, particularly by increasing controls on imported products.

Diplomatic Career

Olivér Várhelyi began his career in Hungarian public administration in 1996 at the Ministry for Industry and Trade. He then transitioned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he focused on aligning Hungary with EU regulations. From 1998 to 2001, he served as chief of cabinet for the Head of Cabinet and Legal Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supporting integration efforts. Following this, he moved to Brussels to work at Hungary’s mission to the EU, first as a legal counselor (2001-2003) and later as Head of the Legal Service at Hungary’s Permanent Representation to the EU until 2006, after Hungary’s accession to the EU.

Várhelyi spent two years as the head of the EU law department at the Hungarian Ministry of Justice. From 2008 to 2011, he worked at the European Commission as Head of Unit for Industrial Property Rights within the Directorate-General for Internal Market and Services.

From 2011 to 2015, he served as the Deputy Permanent Representative of Hungary to the EU. After that, from 2015 to 2019, he held the position of Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Hungary to the EU. From 2019-2024, he served as the Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, and a Member of the European Commission.

Since December 1, 2024, he is serving as the European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare.

EU Health and Food Safety:

“We welcome our new Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, who will continue building the Health Union in the new European Commission mandate.

Through the One Health approach and improving access to the most advanced treatments, boosting the competitiveness, resilience and security of health systems, European citizens will continue to be at the centre of our work.”

SIOPE:

“Welcome Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi!

SIOP Europe, the European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE) welcomes Olivér Várhelyi as the new Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare (EU Health and Food Safety) for the European Commission.

Your mandate comes at a crucial time for addressing health challenges, and we are hopeful to create a fruitful collaboration in the fight against childhood cancer. Together, we can advance initiatives under the European Beating Cancer Plan and implement policies to improve access to medicines, support high-quality care and tackle inequalities in childhood cancer care and research across the EU.

We wish you the best of luck in your new role and look forward to working together over the next five years to ensure a brighter, healthier future for children and young adults with cancer across Europe.”

Further Reading:

Making Personal Experience a Political Priority: Insights from EU Commissioner Stella Kyriakides