Secretariat News March 2010

Activity and communication

Strategic Planning for EPHA EPHA launched a consultation with its members on the next planning period for the organisation. Following extensive discussions amongst the Executive Committee, Secretariat and Strategic Interest Group meetings, two draft documents are available and members are encouraged to contribute to the discussions. Please access information on the documents and the process here

Policy Coordination Meeting - On 4 March 2010, EPHA held its second Policy Coordination Meeting of the year, which brought together various member organisations in order to discuss latest policy and advocacy developments in the public health field. The meeting was well attended by members and enjoyed a lively debate. More information is available at www.epha.org/a/3742.

European institutions

European Ombudsman Following his re-election as European Ombudsman by the European Parliament on 20 January 2010, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros held a workshop in the European Paliament titled "The European Ombudsman’s new mandate - What to expect?" In the workshop Mr. Diamandouros spoke of priorities for the next five. Mr. Diamandous invited civil society organisations, enterprises, and EU Officials to discuss his new mandate, and what to expect. Another important topic discussed was the effects of the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty on citizen participation in the EU. The Lisbon treaty also extends the authority of the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman also said he would continue on fighting for transparency in the European Union, and said he would start working on Impact Assessment. EPHA attended the workshop and a meeting report is available here.

European Commission The College of Commissioners announced changes to the senior management of the European Commission on 31 March 2010. In a surprise announcement, Robert Madelin was moved from DG Sanco to Director General of information society and media (INFSO) effective from 1 April 2010. His deputy Director General Paola Testori Coggi, has been promoted to Director General of DG Sanco - taking the number of women in Director General positions to five.

On 3 March 2010, José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, released the long-awaited “EU 2020 Strategy,” which will replace the Lisbon Strategy and become the roadmap for the next ten years for greener growth and jobs in Europe. The EU2020 process became the heated in February, with a number of NGOs continuing to protest against the version, and a leaked Commission report circulating amongst Brussels-based actors. The Strategy was then discussed by EU leaders at the Spring Summit. In this article you can find the targets of the strategy and the conclusions from the Summit. The Secretariat will continue to follow the follow up of the Spring Council. The strategy contains proposals on reducing poverty, promoting research, and increasing employment within the EU. More information on the 2020 Strategy can be found here.

On 31 March 2010 The Commission Released its 2010 Work Programme, based on Barroso’s political guidelines. This is the first Work Programme of the new Commission, and outlines the Commission`s ambition and commitments, for 2010 and beyond. The Work Programme indentifies the issues the Commission will tackle and sets the policy direction to respond to upcoming challenges, laying the foundation for its work in the rest of the mandate. Please read the full summar here

On 12 March 2010, EPHA held its annual meeting with DG Sanco Director General Robert Madelin. The meeting was attended by EPHA’s Secretary General Monika Kosinska and President Archie Turnbull. The Commission delegation included Mr. Matthew Hudson, Director for General Affairs and Ms. Jacqueline Minor, Director for Consumer Affairs, as well as Ms. Maya Matthews from the Health Strategy Unit.

European policies

Diet and Nutrition - The EP Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety voted on the proposed Regulation on the Provision of Food Information to Consumers. EPHA has been advocating for a clear labelling system, which includes mandatory front of pack traffic lights as food labelling is a crucial support tool in the fight against obesity. With around 1,000 amendments submitted and an diversity of opinions between and within the political group, the vote lasted close to three hours. From a public health perspective there were some gains, but EPHA called on MEPs to protect public health and Europe’s vulnerable in the plenary vote in May 2010. This is a dossier that EPHA continues to work, supporting a number of key MEPs. EPHA submitted voting recommendations to MEPs in advance of the vote. Please see the EPHA press release here and the voting recommendations here.

Within the framework of EPHA’s continued membership of the High-Level Group on the Competitiveness of the Agro-Food Industry, a representative from the Secretariat participated in the joint meeting between the Sherpa representatives of the HLG and the European Food Safety Authority. In 2009, the HLG produced a roadmap for the continued competitiveness of the sector, and the meeting with EFSA addressed those points from the roadmap that a relevant to issues within EFSA’s remit. Please find a full meeting report here

As part of the evaluation process for the Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, the EPHA Secretariat was interviewed by the external evaluators. The comments that the Secretariat provided elaborated on the written response that was submitted in February. Please find a commentary and the written response in the Members’ Only section here

EPHA was invited to participate as a temporary adviser to the WHO European Regional Office’s Nutrition Counterparts and Focal Points meeting that was held in Geneva from 24-26 March 2010. Topics addressed at the meeting included the joint WHO-European Commission project on indicators for the Second Action Plan (WHO) and the European Strategy on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity (EC). The WHO Member States established an Action Network on Health Inequalities and Nutrition. EPHA has expressed an interest in participating in such a network. The WHO Draft Global Guidelines on Marketing to Children were presented, as was the work of the WHO Action Networks on Marketing and Salt Reduction.

Following the open letter to the Romanian government in February and the joint press release with Romanian MEP Oana Antonsecu, both the letter and the press release received considerable coverage in the national media in February and March - all major media channels and specialist press – as well as coverage in the European media. EPHA was asked to give an interview to the Parliament channel in March, with broadcast expected in April 2010.

Alcohol - The European Alcohol and Health Forum convened on 14 March 2010 and two representatives from the EPHA Secretariat participated in the meeting, along with a representative from EPHA member the Health and Europe Centre. Topics discussed at the forum included consumer campaigns and the role and influence of digital media in the alcohol debate. The draft agenda for the Open Alcohol Forum, to be held on 22 April 2010, was discussed as was the terms of reference for the next report of the Science Group of the Alcohol and Health Forum. The report will focus on alcohol and the workplace. The members of the Alcohol and Health Forum were given the opportunity to comment on the terms of reference- EPHA submitted its comments in writing the European Commission following the meeting. A summary report from the meeting can be found here.

EPHA held a working meeting with a representative from WHO Headquarters in Geneva on the Draft Global Alcohol Strategy. The draft strategy is to be discussed at the World Health Assembly in May 2010. EPHA will report back to its members working on alcohol in due course.

Tobacco On 26 and 27 March 2010, EPHA co-organised an international conference entitled Building Public Health Dialogue and the Role of Health NGOs in collaboration with the Slovenian Coalition for Tobacco Control (SCTC) in Ljubljana. The meeting was attended by EPHA President Archie Turnbull and three Secretariat members, as well as several speakers representing Brussels-based and Member State NGOs mainly active in the area of tobacco control. As part of its capacity-building effort in CEE countries, EPHA also coordinated a workshop with ASPHER. The full meeting report is available here. A brief summary of the workshop themes is also available in a separate article,.

In light of the recent alarming debates in Poland on the revision of the tobacco control legislation, EPHA took action in the form of a series of press releases in Polish and English targeting policy-makers in both Poland and Brussels. The EPHA Secretariat prepared a policy briefing which was also circulated to key stakeholders. EPHA consulted and cooperated with its members working on tobacco control throughout this process. EPHA supported national organisations in their work on the issue, and mobilised civil society from across sectors to raise awareness of the issue. Please find the relevant information on these developments here and here.

Injuries - On 17 March 2010, EPHA participated in a European Parliament event organised to launch the World Health Organisation report, "Preventing Injuries in Europe", fruit of a three year collaboration with the European Commission. More information about the event as well as the report is available here.

Global Health - "Health is a right in Europe and beyond, for all human beings, regardless of their place in the world", said Andris Piebalgs, a new Development Commissioner, in his key speech at the Action for Global Health Cross-Europe Conference in the European Parliament on 2 March 2010. The event was to discuss what the EU can do with regards to delivering the right to health with the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The event was very successful with more than 200 participants from both the global North and the South. Please find a report from the Conference here.

On 11 March 2010 EPHA - on behalf of Action for Global Health (AfGH) network - co-chaired the sixth Global Health Policy Forum. The meeting was to present an update on the process and prospects on Global Health Communication, discuss the High Level Global Health event in June, but also focus the attention of the global health policy makers and advocates on the persistent crisis of health workforce and mental health in developing countries. A summary from the meeting can be found here.

Climate Change - "Europe alone cannot protect the climate, but without Europe there is no climate protection", said Mr. Jo Leinen discussing the After Copenhagen vision for the EU on 3 March 2010. While many see the Copenhagen Summit a failure, he focused on what can still be seen as positive of it - the EU must now build trust among emerging economies and developing countries, show leadership and ambition and develop "climate diplomacy". A report from the policy briefing breakfast can be found here.

Agriculture - Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) - due to reform in 2013 - has being discussed for some time already. A vast range of political, business but also public expectations has been put forward so far. Still, health-related demands remain shadowed by the issues of financing, research or climate change adaptation. To check on the position of health in the debate EPHA attended the Institute for European Environmental Policy’s (IEEP) conference on “Challenges of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is facing and its proposed architecture post-2013”. Please find a summary of the meeting here.

The "Future of the CAP after 2013" was also debated in the European Parliament. A public hearing brought togetehr stakeholders and MEPs to discuss how agriculture policy should meet current demands for a more greener, more equitable CAP that can ensure adequate livelihood for farmers and high quality food in an increasingly volatile market. A summary of the meeting can be found here.

Pharmaceutical policy - On 18 March, EPHA held a meeting of its Working Group on Pharmaceutical Policy, which focused on the elaboration of the EPHA strategy in relation to the so-called Information to Patients draft directive, in light of the latest institutional developments. Moreover, the WG was also an opportunity to assess the progress made on the Pharmacovigilance and Falsified Medicines files. More information about this meeting is available for members only at Working Group on Pharmaceutical Policy.

On 4 March 2010, theENVI Committee, in cooperation with the IMCO Committee, organised a workshop on the ongoing legislative procedure on information to patients on prescription medicines. The goal of the workshop was to present a the different views of all the stakeholders involved to MEPs. The workshop was hosted by the ENVI rapporteur on Information to Patient, Christofer Fjellner (EPP SE). EPHA attended the workshop and a meeting report is available here.

On 2 March 2010, EPHA was represented by Executive Committee member Wim Vandevelde at the national conference on generic medicines. The meeting was held in line with the Spanish Presidency, to draw attention to the challenges and opportunities in the sector. It was co-organised by EPHA member, FUNDAMED.More information can be found here

Health system financing - The Robin Hood Tax campaign has already gained a high profile in the UK and has given momentum to similar campaigns demanding financial transaction taxes (FTT) in other European countries. In this light on 25 March a broad coalition of civil society organisations including EPHA has come together to call for a financial transaction tax to be levied so as to fund global public goods including expenditure on social services in Europe and abroad. "Merry" men and women, accompanied by "angry bankers" and confused "Heads of State" gathered on Place Luxembourg outside the European Parliament for a launch of the Brussels’ "Robin Hood Tax" campaign for the FTT. An article on this event can be found here.

Partnerships

International bodies

The World Bank - The meeting between the World Bank and CSOs in Brussels reported in last month’s report has been postponed until 8 April.

European stakeholder bodies

European Health Forum The European Health Forum renewed mandate was announced this month, with 52 organisations chosen out of applications from almost double this number. EPHA was successful in its application for continued membership, and has asked its members to indicate who was successful, and who was not, in this renewed term. The full list of successful organisations has not yet been made public by the Commission. Please email the Secretariat if your organisation applied and received an answer this week

European Medicines Agency - Patient and Consumer Working Party EPHA Secretary General, Monika Kosinska attended the London-based meeting this month which saw the PCWP meeting together with its health professional equivalent. The meeting was well-attended by EPHA members and the Commissioner John Dalli addressed the group. Please contact the Secretariat for more information on the agenda and discussions in the meeting. The make-up of the group for the forthcoming period was announced, with EPHA receiving a continuation of its participation.

EU Health Portal Editorial Board EPHA attended the Health-EU Portal Editorial Board meeting during the Barcelona e-Health conference. The meeting discussed the users and structure of the website, including improvements for the target audiences. Please find an article on the EU Health Portal here.

European Food Safety Authority EPHA received confirmation that it was not successful in its application to the Management Board of the European Food Safety Authority. The letter indicated that this decision was based on the lack of food safety experience of the applicant.

Data Partnership EPHA attended the inaugural meeting of the stakeholders identified as part of the Data Partnership, together with many of its members and other Brussels partners. The meeting was also attended by economic actors and DG Sanco managed EU agencies with an interest in data gathering. The purpose of the meetings is ambitious, with the aim to build trust and transparency in the data gathering and use at European level - with the objective of greater evidence-based policy making.

Stakeholder Dialogue Group EPHA Secretary General, Monika Kosinska attended the SDG in her personal capacity this month. Topics discussed included a presentation from the Commissioner John Dalli of his priorities, a presentation of the multi-stakeholder work of the World Economic Forum, the EU 2020 strategy, and civil dialogue.

European civil society

Civil Society Contact Group On 25 March, EPHA attended the Steering Group of the Civil Society Contact Group (represented by Gunther Schulz, EPHA Treasurer and Luiza Bara. The meeting enjoyed a high level of attendance with 6 out of 8 sectors represented. The main points from the meeting included a continuation of the discussion on the terms of reference of the group. EPHA will chair the next meeting where two presentations will be given: one on civil dialogue (from the Social Platform), and one on stakeholders engagement.

National public health community

Poland - On 23 February 2010, EPHA organised a Roundtable on the engagement of Polish civil society in public health advocacy. The roundtable was to discuss level, structure, challenges and opportunities of this engagement. Is Poland sufficiently empowered, skilled and confident to take up a meaningful role in this engagement? The meeting gathered eleven (the majority of whom was Polish) participants and followed a one-and-a-half day long workshop A Taste of Europe - Introducing European health policy. A summary of this roundtable can be found here.

Slovenia - Following last month’s article on the ’’NGOs Protect our Health’’ network coordinated by the Slovenian Coalition for Tobacco Control (SCTC), EPHA co-organised a conference on 26-27 March entitled ’’Building Public Health Dialogue and the Role of Health NGOs in the Republic of Slovenia and the EU’’. The conference promoted the network and stimulated the creation of sustainable links between NGO representatives, policy makers and academics from Slovenia, Brussels, and selected EU Member States. The post-conference report and the final agenda can be found here:
 Conference agenda
 Post-conference report

Staff

Staff changes

There were no staff changes in March.

Members

Re-organisation of EPHA website EPHA is continuing the re-organisation process of its website to make it more user-friendly. With the completion of a conceptual framework for EPHA operations for the forthcoming five year period, the next stage of the website can be implemented.

New tech tools for NGOs EPHA attended a meeting organised by a well-known technology giant in order to upskill NGOs in the use of new geospatial technologies to improve and facilitate their campaigning. A full report from the meeting can be found here and members are encouraged to contact the Secretariat for further information.