The 5th NAT commission meeting will take place on Tuesday 23 September 2025 at the European Committee of the Regions, Rue Belliard 99-101, Brussels room JDE 52.
This meeting will be fully on-site. The public can follow the meeting in the listening room JDE53.
For security reasons you need contact the NAT secretariat at the latest on the 19 September 2025 if you wish to participate in person.
This meeting will also be web streamed.
Highlights of the meeting on 23 September 2025.
There will be a debate on Bioeconomy debate with:
- Emmanuelle MAIRE, Head of Units DG ENV.B1 (tbc)
- Peter WEHRHEIM, Head of Unit DG RTD B2 (tbc)
- Representative from a coalition of regions (Bioregions or ERRIN) (tbc)
The following opinions will be discussed:
First discussion and adoption:
- Towards sustainable and resilient tourism in the European union: Strategy for balanced and adaptive management
Rapporteur: Margarita Prohens Rigo (ES/EPP)
Tourism represents 9.7% of the EU-27 GDP and employs 11.1% of its active population. Acting as a vehicle for territorial cohesion, demographic revitalisation, global connectivity, and the promotion of European heritage, tourism is part of the European way of life. However, its growing impact on local communities, natural resources, and cultural identity requires a review of tourism development toward greater resilience and sustainability. The draft opinion addresses the key challenges faced by European territories and argues for a new strategy for tourism that focuses on sustainability, resilience, and adaptive governance.
- European Preparedness Union Strategy
Rapporteur: María Isabel Urrutia De Los Mozos (ES/EPP)
The European Preparedness Union Strategy comes at the time when the EU is facing increasingly complex crises and challenges from growing geopolitical tensions and conflicts, hybrid and cyberattacks, foreign interference, to climate change and more frequent and severe natural disasters.
The current security landscape requires a mindset shift from reactive crisis management to proactive preparedness and resilience, planning ahead and preparing to reduce risks and limit damage before crises happen. The draft opinion analyses the Communication of the European Commission on the European Preparedness Union Strategy which is aimed at creating a secure and resilient EU which has the necessary capabilities to anticipate and manage threats and hazards, regardless of their nature or origin.
- Critical medicines act
Rapporteur: Erika Von Kalben (DE/Greens)
The EU has a strong and competitive pharmaceutical sector, which is a global leader in the production of medicines (especially innovative ones) and a major contributor to the EU economy and directly employs around 800 000 people.
Despite that, medicine shortages continue to threaten European healthcare systems, resulting in discontinuity of care and increasing costs. This problem predates 2020 but has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and an unstable geopolitical situation. This draft opinion analyses the Critical Medicines Act, presented by the European Commission in March 2025 to improve the availability, supply and production of critical medicines within the EU.