October 2003 newsletter

Welcome to the October 2003 edition of the EPHA newsletter.

The EU Chemicals Review continues to be the major controversial issue. The Commission’s latest version of ’REACH’ is considerably weaker than the earlier draft and is a direct result of heavy lobbying from industry and some Member States, including France, Germany and UK. The Exchanges became heated as press reports indicated that the Enterprise Commissioner Likkanen had won out against the concerns of Environment Commissioner Wallstrom. The debate now moves to the European Parliament and to the Member States.

The Technical Working Groups, convened as part of the EU’s Environment and Health Strategy were initiated in three regional conferences during October 2003. The assembled experts have the challenging task of preparing a baseline report of the the latest scientific evidence on the the links between environment and human health — by the end of 2003 !

Road Safety was addressed by EU transport ministers, who adopted ’Verona Charter’ with the ambitious target of reducing deaths from road accidents by 50 % before the end of 2010. The Charter includes includes stricter rules on road safety and tighter monitoring of regulations.

The InterGovernmental Conference kicked off on 4 October 2003 with a curious contradiction of public statements by many Member States that the text of the Constitutional Treaty would not be opened but frantic behind the scenes negotiation on various policy areas — including public health. The legal experts of the institutions were brought in to scrutinise the consistency of the Treaty.

Policy and legislation to watch in November 2003 include Parliamentary votes on the Directives on Recognition of Professional Qualifications, Pharmaceuticals Review, Human tissues, Stem cell research and Commission plans for implementation of the Aarhus Convention.

EPHA’s regular Policy Coordination Meeting was held on 29 October 2003. Draft minutes can be found in the Members Only section of the website.

The next meeting is on 3 December 2003.

You can consult the main articles of this newsletter online by clicking here.

Here is the table of contents:

About EPHA

Secretariat News

 EPHA welcomes visitors from Hungary and China

 European Health Forum Gastein 2003

 GMOs dominate Q&A with Commissioner Byrne

 Presentation: What does Europe mean for our health?

Members News

 1st alcohol policy conference in the context of a larger Europe

 BMA press release: Doctors and patients welcome re-think on embryonic stem cell ban

 Eurocare’s response to the regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods

 HERA approaches russian media and citizen’s on World AIDS Day

 Premature departure from the nursing profession in Europe

Environment

 Chemical review: more impact assessment from the Commission

 Commission presents the new REACH proposal

 Environment Council conclusions, 27 October 2003

 US considers banning flame retardants

Europe

 Analysis of health and social services in the EU Constitution

 Byrne demands advertising industry more self-regulation

 Conference on the EU competence in health

 ERCEG recommends the creation of a European Research Council

 IGC - Initial positions of Member States on health

 IGC secretariat issues comments on the draft Constitution

 IGC finally debates public health on 27 October

 Italian Presidency’s strategy to finish IGC on time

 Traffic of human organs

Food and Agriculture

 Calls for proposals on food quality and safety

 Commissioner Byrne speaks on food claims

 GMO cross contamination may create "superweeds"

 Austrian region appeals Commission decission on GMO-free zones in Europe

Society

 7th world conference on injury prevention and safety promotion - June 2004, Vienna

 Balanced school meals

 Commission increases funding in cancer research

 Commission tender published on health and quality in work

 Conference on citizen’s advice services

 Conference on the environmental performance of EU industry

 EU and international health database

 EU pharmaceuticals review

 European week for safety and health at work

 Health and safety at work on the agenda

 Pharma lobbies for longer data protection periods

 Promoting older workers: a greater focus on health and safety

 The social determinants of health : the solid facts

 Two new reports on health care in the EU

 UK Symposium about nutrition in childhood

 UN’s report says that governments are failing to invest in education and health

 WHO - ’Health systems confront poverty’