Public Health Policy in the EU

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

MEPs vote in safer, more traceable medical devices — 06 April 2017, 18:44 CET

The European Parliament gave its backing Wednesday to stricter rules on medical devices, to ensure that devices such as breast or hip implants are traceable and comply with EU patient safety requirements.

New EU rules to ensure safety of medical devices — 05 April 2017, 19:00 CET

Ranging from simple contact lenses and sticking plasters to sophisticated pacemakers and hip replacements, medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices are important to our health and quality of life. People rely on these devices every day and expect them to be safe and incorporate the latest progress in science and innovation. The current rules on the safety and performance of medical devices in the EU were harmonised in the 1990s. To reflect the substantial technological and scientific progress in this sector over the last 20 years, the European Commission proposed to update the rules to improve the safety of medical devices for EU citizens, create the conditions to modernise the sector and to consolidate its role as a global leader.

GM bans lawful only if clear health risk: EU Court adviser — 30 March 2017, 23:18 CET

EU states are justified in banning genetically modified food and feed only if they can establish a clear, urgent and serious risk to health and the environment, the top EU Court's adviser said on Thursday.

Brussels acts against drug use and trafficking — 16 March 2017, 00:02 CET

The EU Commission proposed Wednesday a new action plan on drugs to strengthen the EU's response to the newly-emerging health and security challenges in the area of illicit drug use and trafficking.

Glyphosate not classified as a carcinogen by ECHA — 15 March 2017, 23:43 CET

ECHA's Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) agrees to maintain the current harmonised classification of glyphosate as a substance causing serious eye damage and being toxic to aquatic life with long-lasting effects. RAC concluded that the available scientific evidence did not meet the criteria to classify glyphosate as a carcinogen, as a mutagen or as toxic for reproduction.

Tougher EU food inspections on the menu — 15 March 2017, 22:27 CET

The EU Parliament adopted plans Wednesday to tighten up official food inspections, aiming to improve food traceability, combat fraud and restore consumer trust in the integrity of the food chain.

Drinks industry asked to come up with alcohol labelling proposal — 15 March 2017, 00:08 CET

The European Commission has given the alcoholic drinks industry a year to develop a self-regulatory proposal that will provide information on ingredients and nutrition of all alcoholic beverages.

Child obesity: healthy food for schools guidance — 23 February 2017, 00:32 CET

The European Commission and Maltese Presidency presented Wednesday a valuable new resource to help public procurement authorities implement healthy food standards in schools.

Brussels mulls new initiative on antimicrobial resistance — 27 January 2017, 17:38 CET

The EU Commission launched a public consultation Friday on possible activities to include in a new action plan to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) it plans to adopt this summer.

Modernisation of EU policy on health and safety at work — 13 January 2017, 00:24 CET

The European Commission took action on 10 January 2017 to promote and modernise Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in the EU.

One in four Europeans over 15 is a smoker — 07 December 2016, 23:50 CET

Nearly 1 in every 4 persons aged 15 or over in the EU was a current smoker in 2014, according to figures published Wednesday by Eurostat, the EU's the statistical office.

Europeans live longer, but not always in good health — 23 November 2016, 23:28 CET

Life expectancy in most EU countries now exceeds 80 years, says a new OECD-EU joint report, but this record life expectancy is not always matched by healthy life years.

Brussels set to act on antimicrobial resistance — 29 October 2016, 11:39 CET

The EU is to bring out a new action plan next year to combat antimicrobial resistance - the ability of micro-organisms to resist antimicrobial treatments, especially antibiotics.

Antimicrobial resistance - Action at EU Level — 29 October 2016, 11:32 CET

The EU - active on AMR for more than 15 years - strives to bring about behaviour change and tackle this pressing issue within a "One Health"approach: Raising Awareness - Reducing the overuse and misuse of antimicrobial medicines is vital to stop the appearance of resistant microorganisms. Among other good practices, the following ones are key to tackle this problem: Better prescribing practices (including prescribing antibiotics only when required) Stop self-medication in countries in which antimicrobial medicines are freely available Respect the dosages Stop the overuse and misuse of antimicrobial medicines in agriculture and the veterinary field

MEPs call for limit on trans fats in food — 26 October 2016, 23:18 CET

The European Parliament voted Wednesday for mandatory limits on industrially-produced trans fats, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, infertility, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and obesity.

Trans fats — 26 October 2016, 22:56 CET

MEPs voted on 26 October on a resolution calling for limits on trans fats. These industrial artificially produced fats can be found in anything from fast food to bakery products, chips and margarine, however they can also prove bad for your health. Scientific research has linked heavy consumption of them with obesity, diabetes, infertility, Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular diseases.

EU Coding Platform to improve traceability of donated tissue and cells — 06 October 2016, 23:33 CET

The web-based EU Coding Platform, launched Thursday, will support healthcare professionals and national competent authorities in tracing donated tissues and cells from donor to recipient in the entire EU.

EU Coding Platform - Reference Compendia for the Application of a single European Coding System for Tissues and Cells — 06 October 2016, 23:21 CET

The web-based EU Coding Platform supports healthcare professionals and national competent authorities in tracing donated tissues and cells from donor to recipient in the entire EU.

EU Court rules on Spanish use of rolling fixed-term contracts — 14 September 2016, 23:27 CET

The use of successive fixed-term contracts to cover permanent needs in the health care sector are contrary to EU law, the European Court of Justice has ruled.

EU proposes ban on new psychoactive substance — 01 September 2016, 00:15 CET

The European Commission proposed Wednesday to subject the new psychoactive substance MDMB-CHMICA, sometimes referred to as 'Black Mamba', to control measures across the European Union.

MEPs veto alertness claims for energy drinks — 12 July 2016, 00:09 CET

Euro-MPs voted on Thursday to veto European Commission plans to allow claims that sugary drinks and energy drinks containing caffeine boost 'alertness' or 'concentration'.

Health claims — 16 June 2016, 23:30 CET

A health claim is any statement about a relationship between food and health. The European Commission authorises different health claims provided they are based on scientific evidence and can be easily understood by consumers. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is responsible for evaluating the scientific evidence supporting health claims.

Antimicrobial Resistance — 29 June 2017, 22:30 CET

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is the ability of microorganisms to resist antimicrobial treatments, especially antibiotics. AMR not only has a direct impact on human and animal health - due to the failure in the treatment of infectious diseases - but also carries a heavy economic cost. AMR is a natural phenomenon but an accumulation of factors, including excessive and inappropriate use of antimicrobial medicines on humans and animals and poor infection control practices, transformed AMR into a serious threat to public health worldwide.

Finally, EU sets out scientific criteria for endocrine disruptors — 15 June 2016, 17:14 CET

The European Commission presented Wednesday - two years after they were due - its science-based criteria to identify endocrine disruptors in the field of plant protection products and biocides.

Glyphosate factsheet — 02 June 2016, 01:20 CET

The Commission has called for a 'limited extension' of the current authorisation of glyphosate, an active substance used for the production of pesticides, until the European Chemical Agency gives its scientific assessment on the substance.