Kiri

Dear Ms. Lao,

I hope this message finds you well.

I wanted to kindly follow up on my email below and ask whether you have had the opportunity to consider our request.

If you are not available at this time, we would be very grateful if you could recommend a suitably qualified alternative.

Thank you very much in advance. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Rudolf Reibel

Dear Ms Lao,

I am contacting you on behalf of the German Medical Association (Bundesärztekammer), the association representing all physicians practicing in Germany.

We are regularly hosting events in Brussels on current EU health policy topics, like the health workforce crisis (2025), patient autonomy in the EHDS (2023), antimicrobial resistance (2022) or drug shortages (2020), generally in our ca. 1.5-hour moderated breakfast panel discussion format “Morning Rounds”, co-hosted by KBV, the German association of outpatient physicians.

For our 2026 Morning Rounds event

“Talking resilience: Preparing our healthcare systems for new threats” (working title)

on Tuesday, 31 March 2026 from 9:00 to 10:40 hrs at Residence Palace Restaurant, Rue de la Loi 155,

we would like to request your availability as a panelist.

The other panelists would be:

• Dr. Petter Iversen, Brigadier General, Chair for The Committee of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services in NATO (COMEDS), t.b.c.

• Sandra Gallina, European Commission, Director General for Health and Food Safety, t.b.c.

• Dr. Stephan Hofmeister, Deputy Chairman of the Board, KBV German outpatient physicians.

Introduction: Dr. Klaus Reinhardt, President of the German Medical Association.

We would like to take stock of the situation one year after the publication of the European Commission’s Preparedness Union Strategy.

Just as the Preparedness Union Strategy, we would like to address the variety of threats that European healthcare systems are already facing, or might face in the near future, including military scenarios, hybrid threats like cyber-attacks on healthcare facilities, sabotage of critical infrastructure, harmful substances released intentionally or accidentally, natural disasters or new pandemics, exacerbated by ongoing climate change.

For our participants, it would be particularly relevant to hear the perspective of a country that experiences military threats even more acutely than many Western European countries and therefore has addressed preparedness of healthcare earlier and with more priority.

You have been recommended to us as an expert by a senior European Commission representative.

Possible questions include:

• Which concrete measures (including but not limited to medical countermeasures) are in the pipeline, and what else can and should the EU and its Member States do to make their healthcare systems crisis-proof?

• What role do hospitals and outpatient doctors play? How can healthcare for the population be maintained alongside the need to treat thousands of injured people?

• What can our healthcare systems learn from countries that have addressed resilience and preparedness of healthcare systems early and in a consistent way?

The panel discussion will be followed by questions from the audience. We expect ca. 60 invited participants from the European institutions, government, healthcare professionals and health policy stakeholders, including media.

The event will be in English. A presentation is not required.

The event will be webstreamed and made available on the websites of KBV and the German Medical Association.

We would be very honoured if you accepted our request.

Thank you for getting in touch with us if you require cost reimbursement.

I remain at your disposal for any question you may have.

Yours sincerely

Rudolf Reibel

Rudolf Reibel,  LL.M. (Leuven, EU Law), ass. iur.

Leiter Brüsseler Büro / Head of Brussels Liaison Office

Bundesärztekammer / German Medical Association

Dezernat Internationale Angelegenheiten / Department for International Affairs

Rue Montoyer 25

6th floor

B-1000 Brussels

Fon: +32 2 280 1817 or/oder +49 30 400456 370

[email protected]

http://www.bundesaerztekammer.de

EU Transparency Register no. 89648243865-50