Plaid Cymru pledge closer ties with Europe to improve NHS standards
Plaid Cymru would pledge closer ties with Europe to improve NHS standards, the party’s health spokesperson has said.
In a speech today (Tuesday 2 September) to The Scotland Forum 2025 - a conference ‘promoting international cooperation and understanding’ - Mr ap Gwynfor outlined six key policies which would improve NHS standards in Wales through European Cooperation:
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A bespoke Health Protection Agreement with the EU
- Cutting red tape on healthcare trade
- Creating forums for cooperation on pandemic preparedness and emerging technologies, such as AI
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Redesigning the Agile Cymru programme to boost cross-border and international cooperation
- By giving the scheme a new, sharper focus on health economics we can learn from models that deliver both efficiency and excellence.
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Aligning with the EU4Health Programme
- Aligning our national priorities with one of Europe’s most ambitious initiatives to build stronger, more resilient and more accessible health systems.
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Signing Up to the European Code of Practice on Cancer Care
- Commitment to giving Welsh patients the core requirements for good clinical cancer practice as outlined in the European Code of Cancer Practice
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Reforming Wales’ digital and data infrastructure
- Learning from European best practice – including innovations like the Smart Care App – while maintaining strong data protection aligned with GDPR.
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Seeking Associate Membership of the EU Critical Medicines Alliance
- To strengthen the supply of critical medicines and ultimately enhance efforts to prevent and address shortages effectively
Mr ap Gwynfor outlined that the policies laid out would be developed from Plaid Cymru’s proposed European Alignment Bill, which was announced by Plaid Cymru MS, Adam Price, earlier this year.
The Plaid Cymru health spokesperson emphasised the importance of European cooperation, to ensure Wales can “share knowledge, avoid costly mistakes and deliver better care”.
He will continue by explaining the challenges faced by the NHS following Brexit, which has “erected obstacles to the free exchange of ideas, resources, and expertise”, which has resulted in “a serious risk”.
Plaid Cymru health spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, will say:
"Our health service is under immense pressure. Waiting lists are long. Staff are overworked. Demand is rising every year. But these are not uniquely Welsh problems.
“Why should Wales or Scotland reinvent the wheel when Sweden has pioneered new models of care? Why struggle alone with workforce retention when Denmark has found innovative approaches? Why not learn from Estonia’s success with digital health systems?
“The UK’s departure from the European Union has made this collaboration more difficult. Brexit has not only created barriers to trade and research – it has erected obstacles to the free exchange of ideas, resources, and expertise.
“In healthcare, that is not an inconvenience – it is a serious risk. Instead of building bridges, we have created walls. Instead of aligning with the highest standards, we risk falling behind.
“Plaid Cymru’s European Alignment Bill - a bill that will ensure that in devolved areas, including healthcare, Wales keeps pace with European standards will stop us falling behind. It will give us a legislative foundation for closer cooperation and deeper integration in the future.
“A Plaid Cymru Government would not drift further into isolation, we would seize the opportunity in front of us to lead, to innovate, to build a future where our people have access to the best healthcare Europe can offer.
“Ultimately – this is about people. About the patient who needs a new treatment. About the child waiting for specialist care. About the elderly person who deserves dignity and support, not delay and disappointment.