Home Europe Council of the European Union Council Decision (EU) 2025/30 of 17 December 2024 on the pos...
Date: 9-Jan-2025 Category: Not Applicable State: Union Government Country: Europe

Council Decision (EU) 2025/30 of 17 December 2024 on the position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, within the EEA Joint Committee concerning the amendment of Annex II (Technical regulations, standards, testing and certification), Annex X (Services in general) and Protocol 37 (containing the list provided for in Article 101) to the EEA Agreement (Health Technology Assessment) (Text with EEA relevance)

Issued by Council of the European Union · Not Applicable

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Executive Summary & Key Takeaways

What it means

  • The Council Decision (EU) 2025/30 concerns the position to be adopted on behalf of the European Union within the EEA Joint Committee regarding amendments to the EEA Agreement. These amendments relate to Annex II (Technical regulations, standards, testing and certification), Annex X (Services in general), and Protocol 37 (containing the list provided for in Article 101) to the EEA Agreement, specifically concerning Health Technology Assessment (HTA).

Key Changes

  • Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 on health technology assessment is incorporated into the EEA Agreement.
  • Annex II is amended to include provisions for EFTA States' full association with the Member State Coordination Group on Health Technology Assessment, including its subgroups. EFTA states have the same rights and obligations as EU Member States, but cannot participate in votes. Divergent scientific opinions from EFTA states must be included in reports where consensus cannot be reached.
  • Annex II is further amended to include specific reference to Regulation (EU) 2021/2282, with an adaptation stating that Paragraph 4(a) of Protocol 1 to the Agreement shall not apply to Article 3 of the Regulation.
  • Annex X is amended to include Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 as an amendment to Directive 2011/24/EU.
  • Protocol 37 is amended to include the 'Member State Coordination Group on Health Technology Assessment' referencing Regulation (EU) 2021/2282.

Impact Analysis

Impact on Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Companies

  • Action Item: Monitor the activities and outputs of the Member State Coordination Group on Health Technology Assessment and its subgroups. Prepare for potential differences in HTA outcomes between EU member states and EFTA states.

Impact on EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway)

  • Action Item: EFTA states should actively participate in the Member State Coordination Group on Health Technology Assessment and ensure that their scientific opinions are considered.

Impact on EU Member States

  • Action Item: EU member states should collaborate with EFTA states in the Member State Coordination Group on Health Technology Assessment to ensure effective and consistent HTA processes across the EEA.

Key Entities Referenced

EEA Joint Committee: The decision-making body responsible for amending the EEA Agreement. EFTA States: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway (European Free Trade Association members participating in the EEA). Regulation (EU) 2021/2282: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on health technology assessment and amending Directive 2011/24/EU. Directive 2011/24/EU: Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare. Member State Coordination Group on Health Technology Assessment: A group established by Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 to facilitate cooperation on health technology assessment among EU member states and EFTA states. EEA Agreement: Agreement on the European Economic Area
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Official Journal EN of the European Union L series 2025/30 9.1.2025 COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2025/30 of 17 December 2024 on the position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, within the EEA Joint Committee concerning the amendment of Annex II (Technical regulations, standards, testing and certification), Annex X (Services in general) and Protocol 37 (containing the list provided for in Article 101) to the EEA Agreement (Health Technology Assessment) (Text with EEA relevance) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Articles 114 and 168 in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2894/94 of 28 November 1994 concerning arrangements for implementing the Agreement on the European Economic Area (1), and in particular Article 1(3) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, Whereas: (1) The Agreement on the European Economic Area (2) (the ‘EEA Agreement’) entered into force on 1 January 1994. (2) Pursuant to Article 98 of the EEA Agreement, the EEA Joint Committee may decide to amend, inter alia, Annex II (Technical regulations, standards, testing and certification), Annex X (Services in general) and Protocol 37 (containing the list provided for in Article 101) to the EEA Agreement. (3) Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) should be incorporated into the EEA Agreement. (4) Annex II (Technical regulations, standards, testing and certification), Annex X (Services in general) and Protocol 37 (containing the list provided for in Article 101) to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended accordingly. (5) The position of the Union within the EEA Joint Committee should therefore be based on the attached draft decision, HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Article 1 The position to be adopted on behalf of the Union within the EEA Joint Committee on the proposed amendment of Annex II (Technical regulations, standards, testing and certification), Annex X (Services in general) and Protocol 37 (containing the list provided for in Article 101) to the EEA Agreement, shall be based on the draft decision of the EEA Joint Committee attached to this Decision. Article 2 This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption. Done at Brussels, 17 December 2024. For the Council The President BÓKA J. (1) OJ L 305, 30.11.1994, p. 6. (2) OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p. 3. (3) Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2021 on health technology assessment and amending Directive 2011/24/EU (OJ L 458, 22.12.2021, p. 1). ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2025/30/oj 1/3EN OJ L, 9.1.2025 DRAFT DECISION OF THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE No … of … amending Annex II (Technical regulations, standards, testing and certification), Annex X (Services in general) and Protocol 37 (containing the list provided for in Article 101) to the EEA Agreement THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE, Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (‘the EEA Agreement’), and in particular Article 98 thereof, Whereas: (1) Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2021 on health technology assessment and amending Directive 2011/24/EU (1) is to be incorporated into the EEA Agreement. (2) Annexes II and X and Protocol 37 to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended accordingly, HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Article 1 Annex II to the EEA Agreement shall be amended as follows: 1. The following is inserted after the seventeenth paragraph of the introductory part of Chapter XIII: ‘The EFTA States shall be fully associated with the work of the Member State Coordination Group on Health Technology Assessment, including its subgroups, as established by Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 of the European Parliament and of the Council and shall have the same rights and obligations within it as the EU Member States. By way of derogation from the previous paragraph, the members designated by the EFTA States shall not be entitled to participate in votes. However, where voting takes place, positions of the members designated by the EFTA States shall be recorded separately upon their request. Pursuant to Article 12(2) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2282, where consensus cannot be reached, divergent scientific opinions by the EFTA States, including the scientific grounds on which those opinions are based, shall be incorporated in the reports.’ 2. The following is inserted after point 22k (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1255) of Chapter XIII: ‘23. 32021 R 2282: Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2021 on health technology assessment and amending Directive 2011/24/EU (OJ L 458, 22.12.2021, p. 1). The provisions of the Regulation shall, for the purposes of this Agreement, be read with the following adaptation: Paragraph 4(a) of Protocol 1 to this Agreement shall not apply to Article 3.’ 3. The following is inserted in the introductory part of Chapter XXX: ‘The EFTA States shall be fully associated with the work of the Member State Coordination Group on Health Technology Assessment, including its subgroups, as established by Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 of the European Parliament and of the Council and shall have the same rights and obligations within it as the EU Member States. By way of derogation from the previous paragraph, the members designated by the EFTA States shall not be entitled to participate in votes. However, where voting takes place, the positions of the members designated by the EFTA States shall be recorded separately upon their request. (1) OJ L 458, 22.12.2021, p. 1. 2/3 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2025/30/ojEN OJ L, 9.1.2025 Pursuant to Article 12(2) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2282, where a consensus cannot be reached, divergent scientific opinions by the EFTA States, including the scientific grounds on which those opinions are based, shall be incorporated in the reports.’ 4. The following point is inserted after point 15 (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1207) of Chapter XXX: ‘16. 32021 R 2282: Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2021 on health technology assessment and amending Directive 2011/24/EU (OJ L 458, 22.12.2021, p. 1). The provisions of the Regulation shall, for the purposes of this Agreement, be read with the following adaptation: Paragraph 4(a) of Protocol 1 to this Agreement shall not apply to Article 3.’ Article 2 The following is added in point 2 (Directive 2011/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council) of Annex X to the EEA Agreement: ‘, as amended by: — 32021 R 2282: Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2021 (OJ L 458, 22.12.2021, p. 1).’ Article 3 The following point is inserted in Protocol 37 to the EEA Agreement: ‘50. Member State Coordination Group on Health Technology Assessment (Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 of the European Parliament and of the Council).’ Article 4 The text of Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 in the Icelandic and Norwegian languages, to be published in the EEA Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union, shall be authentic. Article 5 This Decision shall enter into force on …, provided that all the notifications under Article 103(1) of the EEA Agreement have been made (*). Article 6 This Decision shall be published in the EEA Section of, and in the EEA Supplement to, the Official Journal of the European Union. Done at Brussels, … For the EEA Joint Committee The Secretaries The President To the EEA Joint Committee (*) [No constitutional requirements indicated.] [Constitutional requirements indicated.] ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2025/30/oj 3/3

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