Newsletter February 2008

February 2008 Newsletter

Welcome to the February 2008 edition of the EPHA Newsletter. This week’s resignation of Commissioner Kyprianou and the announcement that he will be replaced by Androulla Vassiliou as the new Cypriot Commissioner caused a flurry of speculation in Brussels and beyond. Mrs. Vassiliou will be a welcome addition to the College of Commissioners, and comes with a strong reputation for action and support of civil causes. EPHA would like to thank Commissioner Kyprianou for his hard work (...)

MEPs call for EU cancer task force

Parliament’s health committee has called on the Commission to set up an EU Cancer Task Force to provide leadership for improved prevention, screening and treatment of the disease in Europe. Background Cancer remains one of the biggest causes of death in Europe. Although enormous efforts are being made in the area of research and significant advances have been made in the fight against this scourge - medicine is currently able to cure one cancer in two – cancer still remains a (...)

Commission proposes strict limits on chemical in toys

New toy safety measures proposed by the Commission primarily aimed at banning toxic chemicals have received a cautious welcome from European consumer organisations amid fears that they do not ensure adequate protection for children. Background On 3 May 1988, the EU introduced the Toys Directive. Concerns over the use of phthalates in toys have been particularly prevalent in recent years, leading to the introduction of an EU-wide ban in 2005. On 26 September 2007, the European Parliament (...)

The future of pharmaceuticals in Europe: outcome of public consultation

In July 2007, the Commission launched a public consultation on the future of pharmaceuticals for human use in Europe. EPHA contributed to it. The consultation ended in October. Here is a summary of the outcome. DG Enterprise and Industry conducted a public consultation on the future of pharmaceuticals between 19 July and 12 October 2007. Stakeholders were invited to express their position on the basis of six general questions: Do you agree with the analysis of the main challenges (...)

Work-related stress: new challenges in a changing workplace

On 31 January 2008, the European Risk Observatory (ERO), part of EU-OSHA, unveiled the emerging risks related to workplaces. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (OSHA), is the European technical agency promoting a culture of risk prevention to ensure safer, healthier and more productive workplaces in Europe. As part of OSHA, the European Risk Observatory (ERO) provides information on safety and health at work in Europe, describes trends, anticipates changes in work and (...)

MEPs fear lack of transparency in quick EU law-making

MEPs looking into how to overhaul the workings of the European Parliament have raised concerns about the number of quick deals that are reached on EU laws. EPHA believes that such behaviours could risk resulting in poor quality legislation and that the process is not sufficiently transparent. Background In 2007, the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, set up a special working group on parliamentary reform. It was chaired by Dagmar Roth-Behrendt MEP and was to (...)

Empowering living conditions of people with disabilities

A European study carried out by the University of Kent (Tizard Centre) and the London School of Economics shows that community-based services meet in a more effective way the needs of people with disabilities. Background Since the 19th Century, residential institutions have represented the response to the needs of disabled people needing accommodation and assistance. From the 1960s onwards, the movement towards deinstitutionalisation has become popular so as to include people with severe (...)

Smokeless tobacco products are addictive and carcinogenic to humans

The Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIR) has provided evidence on the addictiveness and hazardous impact to health of smokeless tobacco products (STP). The Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIR) has been asked to evaluate effects of smokeless tobacco products (STP) including tobacco for oral use, chewing tobacco, dry snuff and nasal snuff. The marketing of tobacco products for oral use is banned in all EU (...)

New recommendations on ethical aspects of clinical trials in children

The ad hoc group for the development of implementing guidelines for Directive 2001/20/EC has published new Recommendations on children in clinical trials . The purpose of the Recommendations is to protect children and to harmonized the application of such trials across the European Union. On 4 April 2005, the European Parliament and the Council launched the Directive 2001/20/EC related to good clinical practice in the conduct of clinical trials on medicinal products for human use. The ad (...)

The European Court of Justice rules in favour of the indirect disability rights

The European Court of Justice gave a boost to disability rights on 31 January after ruling in favour of Sharon Coleman, a legal secretary in London who suffered “discrimination by association”. This first legal victory could give new rights to millions of carers living in Europe. According to Poiares Maduro, the advocate general at the European Court of Justice, Sara Coleman, a legal secretary in London, suffered “discrimination by association” when she was (...)