The first EU SDS was agreed in 2001 by the European Council in Göteborg, which was followed by a Commission Communication on the review of the SDS in December 2005.
It aims to set out measures by which the EU will meet the challenges of sustainable development.
The key objectives are:
Environmental protection - Among others, preventing and reducing environmental pollution and promoting sustainable consumption and production
Social equity and cohesion- Promoting a democratic, socially inclusive, healthy, safe and just society
Economic prosperity
Meeting the EU international responsabilities
For each key objectives, it identifies operational objectives and actions to be taken.
The public health component
With regard to public health more specifically, the overall objective is “to promote good public health on equal conditions and improve the protection against health threats.”.
Addressing health inequalities, improving mental health and decreasing chronic diseases are part of the operational objectives.
Concerning the actions, the Strategy will develop the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. The Commission and Member States also agreed to promote better health and disease prevention by addressing health determinants in all relevant policies. Mental health must be addressed. Food and feed legislation will be further strengthened. HIV/AIDS policies and Strategies will be implemented and they agreed to increase information on environmental pollutants.
The Commission will also propose a Strategy on indoor pollution and must pay a particular attention to children.
Reactions
EPHA deplores that no concrete actions have been agreed. Most of the actions are a wish list of policy principles without proposing any practical solutions. It rather lists existing strategies. Besides, the Strategy does not foresee a Health Impact Assessment of other policies, which the Health Community has been regularly calling for.
It should also be noted that the same Council slashed the EU budget for Health by 50% in December 2005, strongly limiting the ability of the European Community to deliver the wishful thinking of the Strategy on Sustainable Development.
The Social Platform - of which EPHA is a member - reacted by stating that the EU does not need a policies’ directory.
In its resolution, the Social Platform regrets the lack of transparency of the process and the lack of coordination between the Strategy and the review of the Lisbon strategy (Spring 2005).
