poverty and health

Commission proposes new Fund for European Aid for the Most Deprived

The European Commission has proposed to set up a European Aid Fund to help the Most Deprived Persons in the EU. A successor to the Food Aid to the Most Deprived, this new Fund would support Member State schemes not only by providing food aid to the most deprived people, but also clothing and other essential goods to homeless people and materially-deprived children. The proposal is yet to be approved by the European Parliament and the European Union’s Council of Ministers. The (...)

**Save the date** From Rhetoric to Action – Tackling Child Poverty and Promoting Children’s Health and Well-being in the EU

The Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) Jean Lambert, Marian Harkin, Edit Bauer and Sylvana Rapti have the pleasure to invite you to the seminar “From Rhetoric to Action - Tackling Child Poverty and Promoting Children’s Health and Well-being in the EU.” The event is organised in collaboration with the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) and will take place at the European Parliament on 4 December 2012. Background Poverty and health have a vicious relationship. (...)

Good governance in Public-Private Partnerships - EPHA response to DG Research Consultation

EPHA has responded to the DG Research and Innovation Consultation on plans for a public-private partnership in life sciences research and innovation under Horizon 2020. The Horizon 2020 priority "health, demographic change and wellbeing" will be partly implemented through public-private partnerships. Research priorities Using the public health approach, EPHA urged DG Research to focus on chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory (i.e. (...)

EU follow up on Rio + 20 calls for progress on the beyond GDP agenda

The European Parliament’s Environment Council adopted its Conclusions on Rio+20, “Outcome and follow-up”, on 25 October 2012. Furthermore, EPHA welcomes the commitment from the Council of Ministers to move forward with the “Beyond GDP Agenda” and the recognition of health towards achieving sustainable development.

EPHA Working Group on Mental Health - October 2012

On 11 October 2012, EPHA Secretariat organised a meeting of its Working Group on Mental Health. The meeting focused on sharing the key developments of the working group (since June 2011), and to discuss a draft briefing that EPHA Secretariat prepared on ’The impact of the crisis on the population’s mental health’ (mainly through levels of employment and unemployment as a result of the crisis). Agenda of the meeting. Because of the break-in to the EPHA office and the (...)

[EPHAC Press Release] EU School Fruit Scheme - How to harvest public goods amidst EU-wide crisis

The evaluation of the School Fruit Scheme (SFS) in the European Union (1), published this week, is a welcome push for public health. The report emphasises the increasing outreach of the scheme, its positive impact on children’s diets, and the programme’s significance for disadvantaged children from lower socio-economic backgrounds. EPHAC Press Release EU School Fruit Scheme – How to harvest public goods amidst EU-wide crisis 24 October 2012, Brussels - “These are (...)

Civil society welcomes EU commitment to child well-being

ATD Quart Monde, Caritas Europa, COFACE, Eurochild, Eurodiaconia, European Anti-Poverty Network, European Social Network and PICUM released a joint statement in support of a European commitment to child well-being following the adoption of Council Conclusions at the EPSCO Council. This coalition of NGOs welcomed the EPSCO Council Conclusions on Preventing and Tackling Child Poverty and Promoting Children’s Well-being which were adopted on 4 October 2012. The organisations highlight (...)

EPSCO Council adopts conclusions on Child Poverty

At its 3188th Council meeting on 4 October 2012, EU Ministers of Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) adopted the Council conclusions on Tackling and Preventing Child Poverty, promoting Children’s well-being. Very little different from the draft conclusions and incorporating key messages of the Social Protection Committee, the text calls on the Member States to maintain existing political momentum to address child poverty and social exclusion across relevant (...)

Promoting health in the future development agenda

EPHA took part in the Commission Consultation on the post-2015 Development Agenda. This was an opportunity to build on EPHA work prior to the UN Non-communicable Disease summit in 2011 and highlight the impact that chronic disease has on social cohesion and on the economy. It is becoming widely understood that there is a need to further elaborate on the role of the environment and environmental sustainability in the post-2015 Development Agenda. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aim (...)

Europe approves allocation of € 500 million of Food for the Most Deprived programme for 2013

Against the background of the European Commission’s own careful estimates of 80 million people in the EU at risk of poverty, the Commission has also stated that 43 million people in the EU are specifically at risk of food poverty - a number quickly rising due to the economic and financial crisis and sharp increases in food prices in virtually all EU Member States. The Food Aid Distribution scheme, which has been running for many years and helps the “Most Deprived People” (...)