Public Health Policy in the EU

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

Commission consultation on fragrance allergens — 13 February 2014, 17:55 CET

A report by the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has found allergens in perfume products that have been implicated in problems with skin allergies. The European Commission is now putting the measures to public consultation for three months.

Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) — 29 September 2014, 21:35 CET

The Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety provides opinions on health and safety risks (chemical, biological, mechanical and other physical risks) of non-food consumer products (e.g. cosmetic products and their ingredients, toys, textiles, clothing, personal care and household products) and services (e.g. tattooing, artificial sun tanning).

EU Strategy for the Welfare of Animals - mid-point review — 12 February 2014, 13:55 CET

The European Commission marks the mid-point of the EU Strategy for the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2012-2015 in Brussels on 12 February 2014. The event brought together key stakeholders to review the achievements of the strategy to date, and to identify remaining challenges. Government authorities, non-governmental organisations and those who work with animals every day discussed practical issues related to animal welfare and identify key areas for action to improve animal conditions for the strategy’s remaining term and beyond.

Commission proposals on animal cloning and novel food — 19 December 2013, 00:09 CET

The European Commission has today adopted three draft laws on animal cloning and on novel food which will provide legal certainty in this field. Two proposals will ban the use of the cloning technique in the EU for farm animals and the imports of these animal clones. The marketing of food from animal clones will also be prohibited. These proposals intend to address animal welfare and other ethical concerns related to the use of the technique. The draft law on novel food revises the existing Novel Food Regulation with a view to improving access of new and innovative food to the EU market, while still maintaining a high level of consumer protection.

Improving the safety of medical devices — 26 September 2013, 23:16 CET

The European Commission has adopted two measures to improve the safety of medical devices fulfilling its commitment to restore patient confidence in the medical devices sector following, amongst others, the Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) breast implants scandal. The new rules are a Commission Implementation Regulation clarifying the criteria to be met by notified bodies1, which are responsible for inspecting manufacturers of medical devices, and a Recommendation clarifying the tasks these bodies have to undertake when they perform audits and assessments in the medical devices sector, which covers some 10 000 types of products, from plasters to pacemakers.

'Legal highs' - tackling psychoactive substances across Europe — 17 September 2013, 13:15 CET

The European Commission has proposed to strengthen the European Union’s ability to respond to ‘legal highs’ – new psychoactive substances used as alternatives to illicit drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy. Under the rules proposed by the Commission today, harmful psychoactive substances will be withdrawn quickly from the market, without jeopardising their various legitimate industrial and commercial uses. The proposals follow warnings from the EU's Drugs Agency (the EMCDDA) and Europol about the scale of the problem and a 2011 report which found that the EU’s current mechanism for tackling new psychoactive substances needed bolstering.

Toy Safety in the EU — 03 March 2022, 22:25 CET

Toys contribute to child development and play is an essential part of growing up. However, toys have to be safe for children to play with. Ensuring that toys marketed in the EU do not put children at risk is a priority. EU legislation aims to ensure that toys meet safety requirements that are amongst the strictest in the world, especially in relation to the use of chemicals in toys.

Serious Cross-border Threats to Health — 04 July 2013, 17:02 CET

The EU's ability to cope with serious cross-border health threats such as coronavirus, the 2011 E. Coli epidemic or the 2009 H1N1 flu will be strengthened by legislation voted by the European Parliament on 3 July. The text introduces an early warning system, facilitates joint buying of vaccines and will make it possible to declare an EU-wide emergency in the event of a crisis.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

EU drug markets report: key findings — 31 January 2013, 17:56 CET

Europe is entering an important new era in the supply and demand for illicit drugs -- a development which is challenging current policies and responses. This is according to the first joint EU drug markets report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and Europol released today in Brussels. The two EU agencies have joined forces to provide the first strategic analysis of the European illicit drug market in its entirety. In the report, they describe a market which is increasingly dynamic, innovative and quick to react to challenges and one which requires an equally dynamic, innovative and agile response across Europe. The report unveils the ‘changing face of organised crime in Europe’: while, historically, the EU drug market has focused on specific drugs trafficked by specialised operators along well-defined routes, the contemporary market is more ‘fluid’, with new routes and multi-substance consignments becoming more common.

Towards a new EU law on Tobacco Products — 19 December 2012, 17:34 CET

The European Commission on 18 December adopted a landmark proposal to revise the EU Tobacco Products Directive. The proposal is a substantial revision of the current EU law and proposes new and strengthened rules on tobacco products.

eHealth action plan 2012-2020 — 11 December 2012, 23:33 CET

The European Commission has unveiled an Action Plan to address barriers to the full use of digital solutions in Europe's healthcare systems. The goal is to improve healthcare for the benefit of patients, give patients more control of their care and bring down costs. While patients and health professionals are enthusiastically using telehealth solutions and millions of Europeans have downloaded smartphone apps to keep track of their health and wellbeing, digital healthcare has yet to reap its great potential to improve healthcare and generate efficiency savings.

EU rules on food additives, enzymes and flavourings — 06 October 2023, 18:45 CET

Additives are substances used for a variety of reasons - such as preservation, colouring, sweetening, etc.- during the preparation of food. The European Union legislation defines them as "any substance not normally consumed as a food in itself and not normally used as a characteristic ingredient of food, whether or not it has nutritive value". Added to food for technological purposes in its manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packaging, transport or storage, food additives become a component of the food.