Newsletter August 2005

The European Commission re-thinks its communication activities

"Listen, communicate and go local" are the three themes of Margot Wallström, who presented on the 20 July 2005 the new European Commission Action plan for communication. Against the backlash of the French and Dutch "no" to the Constitutional Treaty, the Commission vice-president of the EC is proposing 50 pragmatic actions aimed at improving its ability to communicate effectively to citizens (and voters). Wallström plans a better use of the EC resources with: a better coordination and (...)

August 2005 newsletter

Welcome to the August 2005 edition of the EPHA newsletter. Traditionally this is a quiet month, with many offices closed and much of the EU institutions empty. However for the EPHA Secretariat this has been a very busy period preparing forthcoming conferences, drafting policy papers and implementing a re-organisation of the staff structure. The international conference organized by EPHA and several UK regions under the UK Presidency "Future Europeans - the right start in life for (...)

Young people’s reproductive and sexual rights

EPHA is the Brussels-based partner of the project “SEXual Patients Rights Charter” (SEX-PARC) lead by the International Centre of Health Protection (HERA) based in Russia. The project is funded under the European Commission Tacis Institution Building Partnership Programme (IBPP), The main aim of the project is the development and adoption of a Charter of Rights of Sexual Patients for the promotion of sustainable health and social care system rendering the beneficiaries as (...)

Alcohol Concern Annual Conference and AGM 2005

Alcohol Concern, an EPHA member, is holding its Annual Conference and AGM in London on Tuesday 1 November 2005. The theme for the conference is ’Challenges and Changes: the new agenda for alcohol treatment’. It will look at the latest projects and policy developments, the research and evidence that underpin them and provide opportunities for asking questions and debating with key policy-makers. There will be several keynote speakers including Parliamentary Under Secretary of (...)

Soft drinks may increase risk of childhood obesity

In a commentary entitled "Are soft drinks a scapegoat for childhood obesity?" by Robert Murray, MD, Barbara Frankowski, MD, PhD, and Hoard Taras, MD, AAP, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 146, Number 5 (May 2005), the link between soft drink consumption and childhood obesity is explored. Through a review of prior research the authors provide perspective on the role of soft drinks in childhood obesity. They found that, although no single factor can be seen as a direct cause, (...)

EPHA report: Informal meeting with the Commission on the Green Paper on Mental Health

On 27 July 2005, EPHA and other EPHA members attended an informal consultative meeting in Luxemburg between NGOs and the European Commission (EC), Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection (DG Sanco) on the future Green Paper on Mental Health, which will be released in early October 2005. From the EC side, Mr Jürgen Scheftlein highlighted the vision, objectives and means towards a better mental health in Europe. NGOs had an opportunity to make first comments on a very draft (...)

Avian Influenza monthly update - August 2005

Despite strong efforts to control the current epidemic of Avian Flu in South Asian countries, the H5N1 strain has increased its geographical range. It is getting closer to Europe, while various governments begin to consider the threat seriously. Cases of infected chickens closer to Europe - Stabilisation of human cases At the beginning of August, experts from the OIE (the World Organisation for Animal Health...) and FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations) have (...)

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 (...)

Reducing water related diseases in Europe

85 million (10%) people living in the World Health Organisation (WHO) European Region do not have access to improved sanitation and over 41 million (5%) still lack access to a safe drinking-water supply. Access to safe water has been recognised as a basic human right and yet, the WHO estimates that 13 500 children under 14 years of age die every year due to poor water conditions. The entry into force of the first legally binding international agreement in the fight against water-related (...)

Call for proposals for a European Global Health Network

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation regularly issues calls of proposals to reduce global inequalities in health. They have recently updated their website with relevant information for grant seekers such as grantmaking strategies, areas of focus, or grantee profiles: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Glob... A New European Global Health Nertwork In March 2005, EPHA was part of a large bid submitted to the Gates Foundation to set up a European network on global health. The NGO consortium is (...)