Public Health Policy in the EU

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

Public consultation on the eHealth Action Plan (eHAP) 2012-2020 — 05 April 2011, 15:44 CET

The questionnaire is open to all interested stakeholders and aims at understanding if the proposed eHealth Action Plan objectives are in line with the aims, objectives and expectations of stakeholders. It further aims to examine if there are additional areas which require further development in the context of the action plan. The eHAP aims at Increasing awareness of the benefits and opportunities of eHealth and improve its legal certainty.

EU Register of Clinical Trials — 22 March 2011, 17:57 CET

From 22 March 2011, all EU citizens have access to information on the thousands of authorised pharmaceutical clinical trials that are under way in the EU. The aim of this official public register is to make clinical research on pharmaceuticals more transparent for patients and others and to avoid unnecessary duplication of clinical trials. Every year approximately 4000 clinical trials are authorised in the EU. Since most of them last 2 to 3 years, this means that around 10,000 trials are ongoing at any given time.

New EU Guidelines on Colorectal Cancer Screening and Diagnosis - guide — 03 February 2011, 17:40 CET

On the eve of World Cancer Day, in an effort to improve the screening and diagnosis of colorectal cancer, the European Commission published the first edition of the European Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Colorectal Cancer Screening and Diagnosis. Colorectal cancer is the second most common newly diagnosed cancer in the EU. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in the EU, accounting for one in seven new cancers and one in eight cancer deaths. Improving diagnosis and screening is key to reduce the mortality rates from colorectal cancer.

Contact lens law is clarified by EU Court — 26 January 2011, 20:10 CET

Banning the sale of contact lenses on the Internet on the grounds of consumer health is disproportionate to consumer health requirements, the European Court of Justice has ruled.

EU actions to fight HIV/Aids - key facts — 01 December 2010, 23:25 CET

To commemorate World AIDS Day, the European Parliament held a seminar on HIV testing. Early detection is vital for early treatment and increasing life expectancy, as estimates show that about one third of people infected with HIV in Europe are unaware they have it. To fight AIDS on a global scale, Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs recently announced a 10% increase in contributions to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), to which the EU is already the largest donor, providing 52% of resources. The increase would allow the Commission to contribute around €1.3 billion over the period 2002-2013.

Cloning - guide — 19 October 2010, 17:27 CET

The European Commission has announced that it will propose a temporary suspension of animal cloning for food production in the EU. The Commission also plans to suspend temporarily the use of cloned farm animals and the marketing of food from clones. All temporary measures will be reviewed after five years. The establishment of a traceability system for imports of reproductive materials for clones, such as semen and embryos of clones is also envisaged. The system will allow farmers and industry to set up database with the animals that would emerge from these reproductive materials.

Safety of Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration and Production - Communication — 13 October 2010, 15:49 CET

The European Commission for the very first time envisages comprehensive EU legislation on oil platforms aimed at ensuring the highest safety standards in the world. In a Communication on the safety of oil and gas activities, the Commission contemplates new EU standards, including criteria for granting drilling permits, controls of the rigs and safety control mechanisms.

European Medicines Agency — 23 September 2010, 22:06 CET

The European Medicines Agency is a decentralised body of the European Union, located in London. Its main responsibility is the protection and promotion of public and animal health, through the evaluation and supervision of medicines for human and veterinary use.

Contraband and counterfeit cigarettes - guide — 15 July 2010, 22:43 CET

The European Commission has announced a multi-year agreement with British American Tobacco (BAT) to work together in tackling the illicit trade in tobacco products. Under the legally binding agreement, BAT will work with the Commission, its anti-fraud office OLAF, and EU Member States' law enforcement authorities to help in the fight against contraband and counterfeit cigarettes. The Agreement includes substantial payments by BAT to the Commission and Member States, totalling USD 200 million (EUR 134 million) over the next 20 years. It should make a significant contribution to the EU’s efforts to fight the illicit tobacco trade, which robs the EU and Member States of billions of euros every year.

EU's new approach to the cultivation of GMOs - guide — 13 July 2010, 13:57 CET

The European Commission has proposed to confer to EU Member States the freedom to allow, restrict or ban the cultivation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) on part or all of their territory. While keeping unchanged the EU's science-based GM authorisation system, the adopted package consists of a Communication, a new Recommendation on co-existence of GM crops with conventional and/or organic crops and a draft Regulation proposing a change to the GMO legislation. The new Recommendation on co-existence allows more flexibility to Member States taking into account their local, regional and national conditions when adopting co-existence measures. The proposed regulation amends Directive 2001/18/EC to allow Member States to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of GMOs in their territory.

Euro-MPs call for ban on food from cloned animals — 07 July 2010, 22:39 CET

Euro-MPs renewed their appeal for a ban on food from cloned animals when they voted on novel foods legislation on Wednesday. They also demanded a moratorium on foods using nanotechnology until potential health risks can be ruled out.

Annual report, 2009 bathing season — 10 June 2010, 16:42 CET

Every summer millions of Europeans head for the beach to enjoy the sun and to cool down in refreshing clean water. To allow Europeans to make an informed choice on which beach to choose a yearly report is published on the quality of coastal and freshwater bathing areas as reported by Member States for the beaches located within their territory. This year the report is being published by the European Environment Agency (EEA), which is also making available on its website maps and tables with detailed information on specific bathing areas. As well as all the 27 Member States of the European Union, this year's report covers for the first time Croatia and Switzerland. The overall quality of bathing waters in the EU has markedly improved since 1990. Compliance with mandatory values (minimum quality requirements) increased over the 1990 to 2008 period from 80% to more than 95% and from 52% to almost 90% in coastal and inland waters respectively. However, from 2008 to 2009 there was a slight deterioration in the number of bathing waters meeting minimum standards both for coastal and inland waters.

EU bathing water policy - briefing — 10 June 2010, 16:40 CET

The annual bathing water report presented by the European Commission and the European Environment Agency shows that 96% of coastal bathing areas and 90% of bathing sites in rivers and lakes complied with minimum standards in 2009. It also describes where to obtain detailed and up-to-date information on bathing sites.

New rules in the EU to provide high-quality cross-border healthcare — 10 June 2010, 23:21 CET

EU Health Ministers today agreed on a draft directive which aims to facilitate the access to safe and high-quality cross-border healthcare and to promote cooperation on healthcare between member states.

The fight against tobacco in the EU - briefing — 27 May 2010, 16:43 CET

Ahead of the 2010 No Tobacco Day (31 May), the European Commission unveils the results of a Eurobarometer survey which shows that a strong majority of EU citizens support stronger tobacco control measures. For example, three in every four Europeans supports picture health warnings on tobacco packs and smoke free restaurants. The survey also shows, however, that nearly one in every three Europeans still smokes, despite the fact that tobacco kills half of its users. The Commission is planning to launch an open consultation shortly with a view to revising the 2001 Tobacco Products Directive and is stepping up its tobacco control efforts throughout the EU.

European Commission authorises acquisition of Vedici by the 3i investment group — 22 May 2010, 17:36 CET

The European Commission has cleared, under the EU Mergers Regulation, the proposed acquisition of the French Vedici group of healthcare facilities by the British investment group 3i.

Organ donation and transplantation - policy actions at EU level — 20 May 2010, 18:13 CET

The availability of donor organs is often a question of life and death for patients requiring a transplant. With transplantation now a commonplace technique, one of the main factors limiting the number of transplants is the shortage of organs. On 8 December 2008 the Commission adopted a proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on standards of quality and safety of human organs intended for transplantation and a 10 point Action Plan to work with Member States on strengthening organ donation and transplantation systems in Europe. The Directive and Action Plan address three key challenges: improving the quality and safety of organs across Europe, increasing organ availability and making transplant systems more efficient and accessible.

EU Directive on Organ Donation and Transplantation - briefing — 20 May 2010, 18:14 CET

People needing organ transplants should face shorter waiting times after the European Parliament approved on 19 May 2010 a draft directive on quality and safety standards for human organs used for transplants. The directive covers all stages of the chain from donation to transplantation and provides for cooperation between Member States. MEPs also adopted a resolution on an Action Plan for organ donation.

EU ministers adopt rules to prevent injuries to healthcare workers — 11 May 2010, 17:39 CET

At a meeting of the EU Council of Education, Youth and Culture today, Ministers adopted a directive aimed at achieving the safest possible working environment for healthcare workers through prevention from injuries.

Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2010 - 2011 — 29 April 2010, 12:17 CET

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has run an annual European Campaign since 2000. With more than 30 countries participating, and some 4 million information materials distributed in all official community languages, the European Campaign has become one of Europe’s largest annual awareness-raising campaigns.

Cheaper drugs incentive schemes ruled legal by European court — 24 April 2010, 00:30 CET

The European Court of Justice has ruled that public authorities may offer financial incentives to induce doctors to prescribe cheaper medicinal products.

First European research strategy on neurodegenerative diseases gets underway — 18 April 2010, 14:43 CET

Some of the world's top neurodegenerative disease experts gathered in Stockholm, Sweden on 15 April to start working on a pan-European research agenda that will guide the work of the new Joint Programme on Neurodegenerative Diseases (JPND). The JPND is the first Joint Programming initiative to get underway, and its launch marks a step change in the way research is funded and coordinated in Europe.

MEPs propose further amendements to the regulation on biocidal products — 13 April 2010, 00:28 CET

MEPs last week proposed further amendments to a regulation concerning the placing on the market and use of biocidal products.

EP boost for organ transplants — 23 March 2010, 13:23 CET

Last week, the European Parliament Environment and Public Health Committee approved common European rules on organ transplants, which should make transplants easier, faster and safer. Parliament is scheduled to vote on the proposals on 18 May.

Key facts about bird flu (Avian Influenza) — 16 March 2010, 18:28 CET

The European Commission adopted today a decision confirming the risk areas set up by the Romanian authorities in relation to an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a backyard poultry farm located in the commune of Letea, in Tulcea county, at the Danube's delta close to the Ukrainian border.