Newsletter July 2005

EU Fundamental Rights Agency: an expert on fundamental rights Vs an EU watchdog

The new Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) has been launched in March 2007. It will replace and builds on the work of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) with three key functions: to collect information and data; provide advice to the European Union and its Member States and promote dialogue with civil society to raise public awareness of fundamental rights. The FRA will become fully operational in 2008. At the moment, the European Commission is drafting the (...)

Implementation of the tobacco advertising ban in Europe

*This article has been updated with information about the European Commission’s actions against Spain, Italy, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Germany*. Directive 2003/33/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to the advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products, bans tobacco advertising in the print media, on radio and over the internet in Europe. It (...)

*UPDATED* Health rights explored within a conference on fundamental rights

The final report of the workshop can be downloaded below. The Social Platform held a two-day conference on ’Building social policy on fundamental rights’ 11-12 October 2005 in Brussels. Within the framework of the conference, EPHA organised a workshop on Wednesday 12 October from 09.00 - 1300 on the internationally recognised right to health and the right of access to healthcare which is guaranteed by Article 35 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. This (...)

Briefing note on Influenza

A flu pandemic is the world’s worst nightmare. Influenza is the infectious disease which could cause a global health emergency with the potential of economic collapse and public unrest. Pandemics are a fact in human history. In the last century there were three major flu pandemics. Most famously the Spanish flu of 1918-19 killed up to 40 million people, more than the devastating first world war. The South East Asia flu pandemic of 1957 resulted in an estimated 2 million dead and (...)

Library of links on Influenza

You will find below a list of links to different materials on influenza compiled by the EPHA Secretariat. The World Health Organisation The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a whole range of materials on Influenza. The frame below intends to give links to some of the latest available documents. INFLUENZA PANDEMIC AVIAN INFLUENZA Global Influenza Programme Avian Influenza portal Pandemic Influenza FAQ Avian Influenza FAQ Global Influenza Preparedness (...)

EPHA briefing: Cohesion policy and Structural funds

The EU has a number of policies designed to reduce disparities across the Union and to promote greater economic, social and territorial cohesion. Financial support is targeted at the national level through the Cohesion Fund, and the regional level through four Structural funds. In both cases, EU money is directed towards the poorest and most disadvantaged countries or regions. All structural funds are governed by a specific EU Regulation, only one of which - the ERDF Regulation - (...)

Coordinating response to Influenza pandemic at EU level

*This article has been updated with details of the European Parliament activities.* Given the current Avian Flu emergency in South Asia, the European Commission has taken two measures to address a potential Influenza pandemic at EU level: reviewing the Directive on Avian Influenza and designing a comprehensive integrated zoonoses strategy. According to experts, the H5N1 strain that devastates South Asian poultries has the potential to spark off the next pandemic, to which humans have no (...)

Conference: Confronting demographic change

To support the debate initiated by the Green Paper, DG Employment and Social Affairs of the European Commission organised a two days conference entitled "Confronting demographic change: a new solidarity between the generations" which brought together ministers, members of parliament, social partners, NGOs and independent experts. The conference took place on the 11 and 12 July 2005 in Brussels. The debate focused on the social policy responses that are needed in areas such as family (...)

July 2005 newsletter

Welcome to the July 2005 edition of the EPHA newsletter. Europe’s first Communication Commissioner, Margot Wallström has published plans for the European Commission’s "Action Plan to Improve Communicating Europe". The 50 actions set out in the plan aim at improving the Commission’s capacity and skills to communicate European policies. The new approach for the Commission will be to "Listen, Communicate, Go local" and reach beyond the core audience of Brussels watchers. (...)

ECJ decides on Swedish state’s monopoly on medicines

In a judgement by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on 31 May 2005, the Swedish monopoly on retail sales of medicinal preparations was found to be contrary to Community law. In Sweden, under national law, retail trade in non-prescription and prescription medicinal preparations can be engaged in only by the State or by legal persons over which the State has a dominant influence. Since 1970, the Swedish government has entrusted retail trade in medicinal preparations to Apoteket (formerly (...)