Following the Dublin Ministerial Conference “Breaking the Barriers - Partnership to fight AIDS/HIV in Europe and Central Asia”, the European Commission set up 3 bodies dedicated to coordinating the fight against HIV/AIDS in Europe and neighbouring countries.
The situation in new EU Member States and their neighbours particularly raises concern. In EU’s eastern neighbours, the rates of new infections are among the highest in the world especially in the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus.
According to the Commission working paper Coordinated and integrated approach to combat HIV/AIDS within the Europea Union and its neighbourhood, issued in September 2004, the HIV prevalence in Estonia is 1.0% with up to 80% infected people under 25 years old. Moreover, the stabilisation of HIV infection rates achieved in Western Europe has only proved to be temporary. In the paper, the Commission commits itself to take concrete action during the next 18 months to address HIV/AIDS.
The 3 new structures, working since May 2004, have been addressing HIV issues both within and outside the EU.
The HIV/AIDS Think Tank exchanges information and contributes to definition and coordination of HIV/AIDS policies.
The interservice group on HIV/AIDS will bring together 14 different European Commission Directorate-Generals with an interest in HIV/AIDS. It will function within the framework of the Interservice Group on Health. Here again, its tasks are mainly to enhance information exchange and identify common actions to be implemented.
The HIV/AIDS task force brings together resources from different Units INSIDE the Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO). Its role is to coordinate the implementation of the Commission Working Paper “Coordinated and Integrated Approach to Combat HIV/AIDS in the European Union and in its Neighbourhood”.
Related EPHA articles:
A coordinated and integrated approach to fighting HIV/AIDS in EU and in its neighbourhood
EU ministers address HIV/AIDS threat in Europe at the Vilnius conference (September 2004)
