European Public Health Alliance

New Italian EU commissioner nominated

Jessica Imbert — 2008-05-09T08:30:18Z

Italy's empty seat at the European Commission table has now been officially taken by Antonio Tajani - a man familiar with EU political scene, as headed MEPs from the Forza Italia political party led by Silvio Berlusconi.

Mr Tajani, a 55-year old law graduate and former journalist, is to replace Franco Frattini, the commission vice-president in charge of justice and home affairs dossier. Mr Frattini formally stepped down on Thursday (8 May), following his appointment as Italy' new foreign minister.

The EU's executive body has confirmed that the team of 27 commissioners will see a shift in portfolios between France and Italy.

Mr Tajani is taking over the transport portfolio, where, among other issues, he will deal with a controversial state loan to troubled Italian airline Alitalia, something being examined by Brussels to see if it breaches EU state aid rules.

It remains unclear whether Mr Tajani will also be vice-president of the commission, as Mr Frattini was.

The prominent justice and home affairs position has been given to French commissioner Jacques Barrot.

Meanwhile, Silvio Berlusconi has formally returned to the centre stage of Italian politics as the country's third-time prime minister, after his cabinet - comprising three parties - was sworn in on Thursday (8 May).

Mr Berlusconi's Forza Italia holds 12 positions in the government, while his right-wing allies, the Northern League and National Alliance, have four ministerial posts each.

The anti-immigration Northern League's Roberto Maroni was appointed to the important position of interior minister, dealing with immigration issues.

Newsletter April 2008

2008-05-08T02:09:20Z

Welcome to the April 2008 edition of the EPHA Newsletter.

April was a busy month for health, not only with the packed policy agenda in Brussels (see this month's articles on the Alcohol Forum, conference on Health literacy and others) but also as health issues were consistently making headlines across Europe.

The developing food crisis is hitting Europe as well as other continents and this has provoked a number of responses, from protectionism in some corners, fierce criticism of agricultural policy in others and and angry reactions to bio-fuels. One thing is clear, at a time of high food prices it is the poorest who suffer the most whether they live in Europe or Africa, and affordable food is a distant luxury for many.

Food was hitting headlines for other reasons also this month, as the battle on GMOs continued in Brussels. The decision on the approval of the Amflora potato, suspected to increase anti-biotic resistance in humans, was delayed until next year although that did not prevent the manufacturer taking out paid slots in the Brussels and international media insisting the Commission approve immediately. NGO campaigners reacted furiously to the lobbying by industry, and were successful in preventing immediate adoption, but the Commission was again unable to show leadership by rejecting the approvals outright despite the scientific concerns and rejection from Member States. The story continues as this is bounced back to EFSA yet again.

The other main story in Brussels was the voluntary register for lobbyists. Civil society groups are disappointed at some of the weak proposals being put forward and are working hard to insure that loopholes are plugged and the process increases in transparency. The scandal peaked as it emerged that an industry lobbying group was organising lobbying activities from offices within the European Parliament building itself and the Parliament has promised tougher action as a result. As this edition went to print a suggestion had been put in to grant lawyers immunity from the register of lobbyists. So far NGOs are very unimpressed, and there is more hard work ahead.

Finally we are delighted to draw your attention to this month's Spotlight on Members which includes Europa Donna, the International Aids Vaccine Initiative and the French National Association for Alcohol Addiction.

Read all the online articles of our Newsletter for April 2008

EPHA members can find the following new information in the Members Only section:

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Secretariat News April 2008

2008-05-08T01:37:53Z

EPHA working meetings

On 9 and 10 April, EPHA attended a meeting in Paris to talk about the ending of the first working year of the STACS project, STACS is a project bringing science and society closer together, funded by DG Research, FP6. Fore more information, please visit the STACS website

from 21 to 24 April EPHA attended a meeting of the Action For Global Health Network to agree how this years report on Aid Effectiveness is to be finalised an to plan the activites of the network for the rest of the year.

On 23 April, EPHA and BEUC organised a Health and Consumer Intergroup in Strasbourg on different strategies on fight against obesity in Europe. Fore more information, please visit the Health and Consumer Intergroup Website

EPHA Working Groups

The Pharmaceutical Working Group met on 29 April to discuss the Information to Patients proposal, the Pharmaceutical Forum and other issues. The minutes will be published on the EPHA website shortly.

EPHA, your 'eyes and ears' in Brussels

On 1 April 2008, EPHA was present at the European Parliament's hearing of the new Health Commissioner Vassiliou. The Commissioner maintained a solid response throughout the three hour session of questions, and EPHA members can access the full report including the questions from the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee here

On 7-8 April 2008, EPHA attended the ECPC Cancer Patient Summit. The conference addressed 3 key issues: How to implement a comprehensive cancer control strategy; How to share best practice; and How to mobilise all stakeholders and join forces to reduce the existing cancer gaps. Click here to see the conference report.

On occasion of the 2008 "World Health Day" EPHA attended the conference organised by the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the World Health Organisation on 7 April. In 2008 the World Health Day focuses on the need to protect health from the adverse effects of climate change. Click here to see the conference report.

During the second week of April, EPHA attended the European Patients' Forum conference on Health Literacy during which Monika Kosinska, EPHA Secretary General, moderated the session on Information to Patients. Please click here for the conference report.

On 15 April EPHA attended an event in the European Parliament hosted by Glenys Kinnock on a the Save the Children Report on Child Health and Nutrition. Please contact the Secretariat for further information.

The third week of April saw EPHA attending the Alcohol Forum Plenary meeting, followed immediately by the Open Alcohol Forum. Please click here for the report from this meeting.

On 15 April 2008, EPHA attended a working group on Food and public health. Frank de Man, the Secretary General of the European Nutrition for Health Alliance, gave a presentation on "Fighting against malnutrition", a topic that is hardly never on the political agenda. Click here to see the conference report.

On 16 April EPHA attended a briefing for NGOs by the European Commissions Deputy Director General for Development, Benard Petit, on the Development Communication. Please contact the Secretariat for further information.

On 17 April 2008, EPHA attended the Responsible Gaming Day. Whilst from the agenda it appeared topics covered would include the health and social risks from gambling, EPHA was disappointed to note that the Gaming industry showed little 'responsibility' in the content or focus of the event on the day. Click here to see the conference report.

On 23 April 2008, EPHA attended a working group on the Common Agriculture Policy featuring Mr Jean-Marie AURAND, Director of economic, European and international policies at the French Ministry of Agriculture. He put forward what France will defend during its upcoming Council Presidency. Click here to see the conference report.

On 23 April 2008 EPHA also attended the third anniversary of the EU platform for action on diet, physical activity and health.

On 28 April 2008 EPHA attended a consultation meeting with non-governmental health organisations, organised by Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection following the adoption of the Second Report on the Application of the Tobacco products Directive in November 2007. The intention of the meeting was to have an open discussion and get comments on the Report and possible further actions outlined in it.

EPHA health advocacy

EPHA met with Dutch Members of Parliament to talk about EPHA and our work in Brussels related to European Public Health Policy

At the begining of April 2008, EPHA attended the first European Alcohol Policy Conference in Barcelona where EPHA organised a parallel session on how Alliances can be created. Please contact the Secretariat for further information.

On 2 April 2008 EPHA Co-Chaired the Action For Global Health Round Table on health Aid Effectiveness. Please contact the Secretariat for further information.

From 20 to 22 April, EPHA participated in the final meeting of the HELENA project. The HELENA project was a study project, funded by DG Research, FP6, on Healthy Lifestyle of Adolescents living in Europe. In the meeting the researchers talked about the results of the project and discussed on dissemination of the results with various stakeholders. For more information, please visit the HELENA project website

On 24 and 25 April, EPHA attended the EFSA Stakeholder Consultative Platform in Parma. To consult the agenda of the meeting, please visit the EFSA website

On 15 April 2008, EPHA presented the Open Method of Coordination and its relevance in the health field in front of students studying social policy Click here to see the French-language presentation.

Presentation on the Open Method of Coordination (French)

Jessica Imbert — 2008-05-08T01:21:29Z

On 15 April, Jessica Imbert gave a presentation on the Open Method of Coordination.

The Open Method of Coordination (OMC) is an intergovernmental means of governance in the European Union, based on the voluntary cooperation of its member states. Initially used for social protection issues, the European Council has decided to extend the OMC to health and longterm care.

The OMC is an instrument which involves 'soft law' and the setting of targets and indicators on health. This is an opportunity for NGO advocacy and to track progress made by governments towards health goals.

Here you can find her PowerPoint presentation (in French).

EPHA related article:

Briefing note on the Open Method of Coordination

European Parliament hearing: Commissioner Vassiliou

Monika Kosinska, EPHA — 2008-05-08T01:20:37Z

Commissioner Vassiliou attended a hearing at the European Parliament on 1 Aprill 2008, in order to approve her appointment as the Cypriot representative on the European Commission. Commissioner Vassiliou is in charge of the health portfolio, replacing Commissioner Kyprianou who resigned to take up the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs in the new Cypriot administration.

The hearing of Commissioner Vassiliou was well attended by MEPs, industry and health NGO representatives, keen to hear her comments and priorities for the remainder of the term of this Commission [1] The Commissioner remained composed despite a grueling three-hour session with many difficult and controversial questions. The Commissioner addressed Members of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, as well as Committees on Agriculture and on Employment and Social Affairs.

EPHA analysis of the hearing

Overall the Commissioner gave a positive impression of an individual committed to her portfolio, interested in the topics and well-prepared to answer the questions of the MEPs. Her answers were mixed for the public health community, and the differences in her understanding on various issues were noticeable. She is clearly new to the concept of cross-border healthcare and the Information to Patients proposal for example, but more familiar and confidently strong on the issue of tobacco. On alcohol, the Commissioner was mixed, with her focus being on the usual suspects of youth drinking and heavy drinkers although coupled with an overall commitment to tackle alcohol issues. The most positive aspects of her performance included a strong commitment to stand up for public health in the face of opposition within her own college. Her belief that her purpose is not to negotiate, but to defend public health is a welcome political message and EPHA looks forward with optimism to the remainder of Commissioner Vassiliou's term.

Commissioner Vassiliou's opening speech

The Commissioner started the hearing by declaring her intention to involve young people in the health work undertaken at EU level, particularly in in work on tobacco, alcohol and tackling obestiy. She stressed the disease-burden in Europe with cancer and heart disease as of primary importance, and underlined her intention to enforce EU law on health.

She drew on her ten years experience in the Cypriot parliament to explain her understanding of the responsibility and accountability faced by MEPs, and she stressed the importance of maintaining a dialogue with NGOs and other stakeholders.

Commissioner Vassiliou intends to promote EU commitments worldwide, and to reinforce the principles of gender equality and human rights.

She stressed that she is aware of the importance of inter-institutional balance and has to maintain an awareness on the importance of duty as well as wanting to put her own stamp on activities.

She pledged to act independently from all specific interests and to strive for better regulation and good governance. She will promote innovative methods of self-regulation where appropriate and proven to be effective. She will develop Europea dialogue to respect and listen to the needs of the citizen.

On legislation, she focussed on the importance of implementation and enforcement, and called on Member States to fulfill their commitments. She specifically mentioned the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) and the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA), and expressed her confidence in them to deliver timely and trusted risk assessment to support policy decisions.

In her opening speech she specifcally mentioned food labeling, patient rights and cross-border healthcare, organ donation, patient safety, hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), cancer and rare diseases, safety and transport. On labeling she promised to protect and inform the citizen as well as simplying and consolidating existing rules. On patient rights and cross-border healthcare she expressed a desire to improve the legal clarity and transparency of existing legislation. She stressed the rights of patients to access healthcare, and that the Directive on Patient Rights will be released in June as part of a joint package with Commissioner Spidla for access, opportunity and solidarity for all citizens.

Please click on the section of questions below:

Questions from the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

[1] This Commission, headed by Portuguese Commission President Barroso, was appointed in 2004 for a five year term. The next Commission will be approved in 2009. The Commission is approved following the election of a European Parliament, which occurs every five years. The next elections will be held in June 2009.

EU DETERMINE project tackles health inequalities

2008-05-06T13:17:08Z

DETERMINE is an EU wide initiative to stimulate action on the social and economic determinants of health inequalities, which is co-funded by the EU Public Health Action Programme. Its main objective is to achieve greater awareness and capacity amongst decision makers in all policy sectors in order to take health and health equity into consideration when developing policies and interventions.

Who are we?

DETERMINE brings together a Consortium of over 50 health bodies, public health and health promotion institutes, governments and various other organisations from 26 European countries. It is coordinated by EuroHealthNet in collaboration with the contract holder, the Czech Institute of Public Health and EPHA is a collaborating partners in this project.

What do we aim to achieve?

By fostering greater cooperation between health and other sectors, DETERMINE aims at improving health and addressing health inequities via the social determinants of health. This project builds on the work of the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (2005-2008), which brings together evidence on how social determinants affect the socio-economic conditions in which people live and work, and on the effectiveness of policies and interventions directly addressing them. The work that is being carried out by DETERMINE partners in an EU context contributes to the goals of the WHO Commission to initiate a sustainable global movement for action on health equity and social determinants.

What do we work on?

The work of DETERMINE is composed of seven work packages, led by different organisations. The Consortium meets three times in conjunction with EU Presidencies, and concludes its work with a final event in March 2010.

During the first year of the project, the Consortium has focused on what the EU and its Member States are doing to address the social determinants of health inequalities, and it has explored existing collaboration mechanisms between health and non-health sectors.

Consortium members have also identified innovative approaches in their countries, involving e.g. public-private partnerships and social marketing to change health related behaviours amongst socio-economically vulnerable groups. To this end, a review was undertaken of the published ‘grey' literature on innovative approaches across the EU. Three small scale pilot projects that apply innovative approaches will be selected and implemented during the course of the year.

A consultative process engaging policy makers from sectors other than health has also begun, in order to identify existing practices and to evaluate current barriers and capacity needs for enhancing cross-sectoral action to address health inequalities.

How can I find out more?

Please consult www.health-inequalities.eu in order to learn more about DETERMINE and the outcomes of the first year of this initiative. For more information on the start and structure of the project, please consult the article on EPHA website

EU lobbying transparency a step closer but still some way to go

Jessica Imbert — 2008-05-06T06:28:19Z

On 25 March 2008, the transparency group Alter-EU has accused the Commission of relying too heavily on business and industry lobbyists when drawing up EU legislation. In reaction, the Commission has said it will publish a list of individual experts who sit on its advisory groups by the summer. But, a European Parliament committee would like the EU to go further and called for a mandatory register of the estimated 15-20,000 lobbyists.

Background

The European Commission has long consulted expert committees - comprised mainly of government experts from each Member State and representatives of civil society, industry and scientists - to better address the technicalities inherent in the application of EU legislation, via a practice known as 'comitology'.

'Comitology' first emerged forty years ago as it became increasingly apparent that the EU institutions themselves lacked the resources to develop implementation rules for every EU law. The procedure was reformed in 2006 to give the European Parliament the right to revoke Commission decisions on the implementation of legislation.

EU accused of heavy reliance on industry lobbyists

On 25 March 2008, the transparency group Alter-EU has accused the European Commission of relying too heavily on business and industry lobbyists when drawing up EU legislation. Alter-EU, made up of 160 organisations, said the Commission has over-filled its advisory expert groups with industry lobbyists.

In a report "Secrecy and corporate dominance - a study on the composition and transparency of European Commission Expert Groups", Alter-EU says some of the Commission's most controversial advisory groups such as those on biotechnology, clean coal and car emissions are among those controlled by industry.

The report found that industry representatives made up more than half of the membership of a quarter of the groups surveyed while 32% percent had members representing a "wide range of interests." The remainder of the 44 groups surveyed were considered "unbalanced." Only one Expert Group was unbalanced in favour of NGOs: the EU Health Forum, of which EPHA is the secretariat.

Alter-EU also accused Brussels of not being transparent about the composition of such expert groups, which are there to advise commission policy-makers.

The transparency campaigners say they choose the 44 groups from what they consider "key policy areas" - the environment, energy, agriculture, consumers, health, water and biotechnology.

According to their report, the total number of expert groups has increased by more than 40% since 2000 with one group for every eight officials working in the European Commission. Total membership of the groups runs to over 50,000.

The report found that a climate change panel, for example, had 30 industry representatives, 13 commission officials, plus 7 further members coming from NGOs and universities and a regional member.

Commission's reaction: identification of experts in advisory groups

The day afterwards, on 26 March 2008, the Commission has said it will publish a list of individual experts who sit on its advisory groups by the summer.

"We are compiling [lists of] the names of experts [sitting] in the groups in an individual capacity" as well as "the number of bodies represented," said Commission spokesperson Valérie Rampi on 25 March. Lists of "individuals who participate in their own personal capacity rather than as representatives of organisations" will be made available "by the summer," she added.

Parliament's call for a mandatory register of lobbyists

On 1 April 2008, a European Parliament committee called for a mandatory register of the estimated 15-20,000 lobbyists in Brussels that wander the halls of the European institutions aiming to influence legislation.

A report approved by the Parliament's constitutional affairs committee recommends that 'interest representatives' – commonly known as lobbyists – be forced to be listed in a joint register covering the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council – where Member States are represented.

In earlier drafts of the report by Finnish centre-right MEP Alexander Stubb outlining a series of rules for lobbyists, it had been suggested that such a register be voluntary, as is the case with the current proposed lobbyist register for the European Commission.

However, the committee approved a series of amendments to the draft report that also would demand "full financial disclosure" of public affairs consultancies and law firms, covering their turnover, expenditures associated with lobbying and, in the case of NGOs and think-tanks, their budget and sources of funding.

The inclusion of think-tanks in the proposal was also a major win for transparency campaigners, who argued that the research bodies, which had earlier been excluded from the report, were "a major part of the lobbying community" in Brussels.

Comments

Erik Wesselius, of ALTER-EU was pleased with the result. "We're quite positive," he said. "We had been very disappointed with the first draft," he added, "but with these amendments, it's much better and in particular there is now a clear choice in favour of a mandatory register and full financial disclosure."

He was also hopeful that the report would put pressure on the European Commission to adopt similar measures in its proposed lobbying register.

"The parliament's report gives a strong incentive for the commission to move in the direction of a mandatory register as well."

Both Mr Wesselius and Mr Turmes still felt however that the timetable for the implementation of a lobbying registry was too lengthy.

"We've already spent three years on the European Transparency Initiative," said the ALTER-EU campaigner. "Another three years for the implementation of a registry would total six years that Europe's been working on this – a schedule that's pretty hard to explain to citizens."

"The registry needs to be implemented before the parliamentary elections of 2009. We need to have an ambitious timetable," said Mr Turmes.

He also said that he wants to see a public list of lobbyists excluded from the register for misbehaviour, and pointed out that "full financial disclosure" would only be meaningful if a full break-down of lobbying expenditure is described.

"We need to know how much, say, BASF, has been spending lobbying around REACH [the European chemicals legislation] on reports, conferences and so on." The bandwidth for such financial disclosure in the US lobbyist register is expenditures of less than $10,000, but there is as yet no detail as to what financial disclosure means in Europe.

"A bandwidth of under €100,000, as has been suggested, doesn't give journalists or civil society a strong enough tool to see where the money goes."

For further information:

ALTER EU press release

The role of Expert Groups and the online register of groups

The Comitology register

The List of Comitology Committees assisting the Commission (February 2008)

The Commission's Transparency Initiative

"Protecting Health from Climate Change" - World Health Day, 7 April 2008

Susana Escuin Ordinas, EPHA — 2008-05-06T06:28:01Z

On occasion of the 2008 "World Health Day" the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the World Health Organisation held a conference on "Protecting Health from Climate Change" on 7 April 2008.

2008 World Health Day focused on the need to protect health from the adverse effects of climate change. The theme was selected in recognition that climate change is posing ever growing threats to global public health security.

The celebration of the World Health Day started with an speech by the Slovenian Director General of Public Health, Marija Seljak, who underlined that climate change - related health impacts are avoidable or controllable if well known an well-tested public health interventions are applied.

Dr. Menabde, Deputy Regional Directore of WHO/Europe, explained that health systems play a key role and have the knowledge and skills to respond to this situation. Yet, cross-sector partnerships are necessary to meet this global health threat and health must be at the center of climate change action and policy response.

According to Dr. Menabde health is one of the areas most affected by climate change and many countries across the WHO European Region are already experiencing climate change related health impacts. "A number of health conditions will be exacerbated through climate change", said Dr. Menabe. As the health effects of climate change are already being observed, the EU should quickly boost its response capacity by improving early warning and surveillance of infectious diseases and establishing a sound communication system with the population, Dr Menabde said in an interview with Euractiv.

The World Health Day collected a panel of speakers from the European Commission, the European Parliament and civil-society partners who outlined how the various stakeholders contribute to the EU Union debate on climate change and its implications on health for the Europeans.

Fort further information

World Health Day 2008: protecting health from climate change
Interview: Climate change will exacerbate health problems
World Health Day
Slovenian Presidency
World Health Organisation
European Commission
EU Parliament

EPHA related articles

HEAL and EUREGHA launch the "Climate Change and Health Good Practice Awards"
World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2008: My life, my work, my safe work - 28 April 2008
Primer on Environment and Health in Europe published
Climate change and health
"Climate change and health" list serve launched by HEAL

Two people die from vCJD in Spain

Susana Escuin Ordinas, EPHA — 2008-05-06T06:26:05Z

Two people have died in Spain after contracting the human form of "mad cow disease", variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) that is is thought to be transmitted in infected meat and bone. Since 2000, more than 800 Spanish have suffered from different types of vCJD.

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) was first found in humans in 1995 and is thought to be transmitted in infected meat and bone. Since 2000, more than 800 Spanish have suffered from different types of vCJD but the only case of a death in the country was in July 2005.

Recently, however, two people have died in Spain after contracting this human form of "mad cow disease". The woman, 50 years old, died in December 2007 while the man, 41 years old, died in February 2008.

Elena Espinosa, from the Spanish Ministry of Health, has asked the consumers and the farmer sector to "be calmed". Javier Castrodeza, Public Health General Director of the Regional Government of Castilla Leon, where the two people died, declared that this facts don't have any "relevant health consequences" and "don't involve a public health problem" at all.

For further information

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD)
Spanish Ministry of Health.
Regional Government of Castilla Leon
El Pais. "Dos muertes por vacas locas"(Spanish).
El Mundo. "Los dos casos de 'vacas locas' traen a la memoria la crisis ganadera de 2001"(Spanish)

EPHA related articles

The EU's activities in health at a glance
**Updated** Romania and Bulgaria join the EU in January 2007
MEPs call for stronger sanctions on food safety
WTO Agreements and public health - briefing of a joint study

The European Commission adopted a regulation on the use of safe recycled plastics in food packaging

Susana Escuin Ordinas, EPHA — 2008-05-06T06:24:35Z

The European Commission has adopted a new regulation to ensure safety of food packaging made of recycled plastics. This new action sets the conditions under which the manufacturers of food contact materials can use recycled plastics.

Regulation (EC) 282/2008 on recycled plastic materials and articles was adopted on 27/03/2008 in order to ensure the safety of food packaging made of recycled plastics. The present Regulation:

Sets the conditions under which the manufacturers of food contact materials [1] can use recycled plastics.
Aims to create a more efficient and practical system for regulating the use of recycled plastics in food packaging.
Will guarantee EU consumers that only safe recycled plastic will reach the market.
Will help Europe's packaging and food industry to contribute to the sustainable use of natural resources as well as achieve the targets for

Until now, national rules regarding food contact materials were lacking or divergent. They ranged from a ban on recycled plastic in contact with food, to authorization schemes or recommendations. The Regulation is now harmonizing these rules at European level.

For further information

European Commission
Regulation (EC) 282/2008
Food Contact Materials

[1] Food contact materials: Those intended or reasonably expected to come into contact with food. They included food packaging, but also machines for food manufacturing and household ware. These materials should not release into the food substances that may pose a risk to human health