Public Health Policy in the EU

Latest news on the public health policy of the European Union.

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EU fines Denmark's Lundbeck EUR 94 m in generic drugs case — 19 June 2013, 18:26 CET

The Commission has imposed a fine of EUR 93.8 m on Danish pharma firm Lundbeck for colluding with generics producers a decade ago to delay the sale of a cheap version of a popular anti-depressant.

New rules for baby food, special diet food and low-calorie food — 11 June 2013, 19:26 CET

The European Parliament on 11 May gave its green light on a set of clearer rules protecting specific groups of consumers such as infants and young children. The aim is to better protect consumers on the content and marketing of these “special” food products, and to provide a better environment for businesses, as well as better application of rules.

New rules to protect EU workers from harmful electromagnetic fields — 11 June 2013, 19:21 CET

The European Parliament on 11 June adopted a Commission proposal for a Directive to update and improve EU rules to protect workers from electromagnetic fields in their workplace.

Ferrets and sled dogs get EU pet passport boost — 10 June 2013, 18:31 CET

Ferret, dog and cat owners got a boost from the European Union on Monday when it said it was broadening its pet passport scheme for animals that are taking part in competitions or sporting events.

EU strategy to fight cigarette smuggling — 06 June 2013, 17:47 CET

The European Commission has adopted a comprehensive package to step up its fight against illicit tobacco trade, especially cigarette smuggling. The illicit tobacco trade is a global threat depriving Member States and the EU of over EUR 10 billion revenue every year in terms of unpaid taxes and duties. Not only does this hit national revenues hard, illicit trade also fuels the shadow economy since it is almost exclusively the domain of organised criminal groups operating across borders. Furthermore, it also undermines health policy initiatives aimed at discouraging the consumption of tobacco products and legitimate business as most illicit products are not made in line with EU rules on tobacco products. To effectively tackle the problem of illicit tobacco trade, the Commission's strategy sets out a number of coordinated measures at national, EU and international level.

EU to check US wheat for GM contamination — 30 May 2013, 19:02 CET

The European Commission said Thursday it has asked EU member states to check imports of wheat from the United States which may be tainted with a genetically modified strain made by US agrochemicals giant Monsanto.

Co-ordination Group for Mutual Recognition and Decentralised Procedures - Human, CMDh — 30 May 2013, 15:40 CET

The Co-ordination Group for Mutual Recognition and Decentralised Procedures – Human, CMDh, has been set up in the revised Pharmaceutical Legislation (Directive 2004/27/EC amending Directive 2001/83/EC) for the examination of any question relating to marketing authorisation of a medicinal product in two or more Member States in accordance with the mutual recognition procedure or the decentralised procedure.

Acne pill benefits outweigh blood clot risk: EU body — 30 May 2013, 15:43 CET

An EU medicines watchdog on Thursday endorsed the safety of acne drug Diane-35, also widely used as a contraceptive, despite protests from France, which has suspended its use.

EU takes Britain, Spain to task over welfare, medical benefits — 30 May 2013, 15:32 CET

The European Commission took Britain to the EU's highest court Thursday to face charges that it has failed to pay social security benefits to citizens from other countries in the bloc.

Patient rights in the EU — 16 May 2013, 12:17 CET

European Patients' Rights Day was on 16 May. The European Commission took the opportunity to list some of the rights and benefits afforded to patients in the EU.

EU sets out post-horsemeat food standards revamp — 07 May 2013, 10:57 CET

The European Commission set out Monday what it said would be a revolution in food safety from farm to fork, drawn up in response to the scandal of horse meat sold as beef.

European Month of the Brain — 30 April 2013, 23:22 CET

At the start of its 'European Month of the Brain' initiative, the European Commission has earmarked some EUR 150 million of funding for 20 new international brain research projects. It will bring the total EU investment in brain research since 2007 to over €1.9 billion. The 'European Month of the Brain' (#brainmonth) will highlight European research and innovation in the area of neuroscience, cognition and related areas through over 50 events across Europe this May. The initiative aims to showcase the latest achievements in the field, but also to urge a more decisive effort to combat brain diseases. It also aims at highlighting how studying the brain can revolutionise computing. The initiative comes as the profile of brain research has been raised recently with ambitious new projects in the EU (FET Flagship Human Brain Project) and the US (BRAIN project).

Five doctors jailed for Kosovo organ trafficking — 29 April 2013, 20:11 CET

An EU-led court in Kosovo on Monday jailed five doctors for organ trafficking at a Pristina clinic in the first such case in the breakaway territory which has already faced allegations of similar crimes during and after its 1998-99 war.

European test results on horse DNA and Phenylbutazone — 16 April 2013, 17:59 CET

Coordinated EU-wide testing for horse meat DNA and phenylbutazone, requested, and co-financed, by the European Commission in the wake of the horse meat scandal, reveal that less than 5 % of the tested products had horse DNA and that about 0.5 % of the equine carcasses tested were found to be contaminated with bute.

EU tests show 1 in 20 beef meals tainted with horse — 16 April 2013, 19:40 CET

Thousands of DNA tests on European beef products have revealed extensive food fraud across the European Union, with almost one in 20 meals marketed as beef likely to be tainted with horse.

Ban on animal testing — 11 March 2013, 18:01 CET

The Cosmetics Directive provides the regulatory framework for the phasing out of animal testing for cosmetics purposes. It establishes a prohibition to test finished cosmetic products and cosmetic ingredients on animals (testing ban), and a prohibition to market in the European Union finished cosmetic products and ingredients included in cosmetic products which were tested on animals for cosmetics purposes (marketing ban). The same provisions are contained in the Cosmetics Regulation, which replaces the Cosmetics Directive as of 11 July 2013. The testing ban on finished cosmetic products applies since 11 September 2004; the testing ban on ingredients or combination of ingredients applies since 11 March 2009. The marketing ban applies since 11 March 2009 for all human health effects with the exception of repeated-dose toxicity, reproductive toxicity and toxicokinetics. For these specific health effects the marketing ban applies since 11 March 2013, irrespective of the availability of alternative non-animal tests.

Full EU ban on animal testing for cosmetics — 11 March 2013, 18:03 CET

11 March 2013 is the last deadline to phase out animal testing for cosmetic products in Europe enters into force. As of today, cosmetics tested on animals cannot be marketed any more in the EU. A Communication adopted by the European Commission today confirms the its commitment to respect the deadline set by Council and Parliament in 2003 and outlines how it intends to further support research and innovation in this area while promoting animal welfare world-wide.

Coal-fired power plants making Europeans sick: report — 07 March 2013, 15:33 CET

Emissions from coal-fired power plants in the European Union contribute to over 18,000 premature deaths a year and cost an annual 42.8 billion euros, a report from the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) said on Thursday.

Horsemeat scandal shows need for stiffer sanctions: EU — 28 February 2013, 18:23 CET

Brussels plans stiffer sanctions against food fraud following the discovery of mislabelled ready made meals across Europe containing horse meat instead of beef, says the Health Commissioner.

EU health research on rare diseases — 28 February 2013, 13:10 CET

In the European Union, a disease is considered rare when it affects not more than 1 person in 2 000. This low prevalence is the common feature shared by all rare diseases, which altogether affect all biological systems. This nevertheless means that between 6 000 and 8 000 different rare diseases affect or will affect an estimated 29 million people in the European Union. The focus of rare diseases research in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7; 2007-2013) is on Europe-wide studies of natural history, pathophysiology and on the development of preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

New research on rare diseases — 28 February 2013, 13:17 CET

The European Commission has, on Rare Disease Day 2013, announced EUR 144 million of new funding for 26 research projects on rare diseases. The projects will help improve the lives of some of the 30 million Europeans suffering from a rare disease. The selected projects bring together over 300 participants from 29 countries in Europe and beyond, including teams from leading academic institutions, SMEs and patients' groups. The goal is to pool resources and work beyond borders, to get a better understanding of rare diseases and find adequate treatments.

EU releases EUR 144m for rare disease research — 28 February 2013, 18:19 CET

The European Union has pledged 144 million euros of fresh funding for research on rare diseases that currently affect some 30 million Europeans, the majority of them children.

Protection against exposure to hazardous chemicals — 27 February 2013, 23:45 CET

The European Commission has proposed to better protect workers from risks linked to exposure to chemicals at the workplace.

Cutting smoking saves more in health bills than lost tax: EU — 26 February 2013, 14:04 CET

The cost and health benefits of getting people not to smoke and better still, not to start, more than outweigh the taxes the tobacco industry pays to governments, says the European Commission.

Overview of smoke-free legislation and its implementation in the EU — 22 February 2013, 13:24 CET

Protection from second hand smoke has improved considerably in the EU, according to a report published by the European Commission on 22 February 2013. 28% of Europeans were exposed to second hand smoke in bars in 2012 - down from 46% in 2009. The report is based on self-reporting by the 27 Member States, following the 2009 Council Recommendation on Smoke-free Environments (2009/C 296/02), which called upon governments to adopt and implement laws to fully protect their citizens from exposure to tobacco smoke in enclosed public places, workplaces and public transport. The report dispels concerns about smoking bans impacting negatively on the revenues of bars and restaurants, by showing that the economic impact has been limited, neutral and even positive over time. However, the report also illustrates that some Member States are lagging behind, in terms of comprehensive laws protecting public health, and enforcement.