children and adolescents

Children and Their Connection with Nature

The working group meeting hosted by MEP Judith Merkies (S&D, NL) and Gerald Häfner (Greens, DE) examined why children’s connection with nature is important and how can it be stimulated. During the Meeting, Tim Gill, British author and public speaker, presented the outcomes of the ’Sowing the Seeds’ project. Previous research has suggested that a child’s contact with nature is particularly important. Natural environments are said to have restorative qualities (...)

Report on the EP seminar ’From Rhetoric to Action - Tackling Child Poverty and Promoting Children’s Health and Well-being in the EU’

On 4 December 2012, MEPs Jean Lambert (UK, the Greens), Marian Harkin (IE, ALDE), Edit Bauer (SK, EPP) and Sylvana Rapti (EL, S&D) hosted an EU policy makers and stakeholders debate in the European Parliament discussing the need for a comprehensive response to child poverty-health relation at an EU level. The seminar assessed the flaws of Europe’s fight against child poverty and raised awareness about the overlooked linkage between increasing levels of child poverty and austerity (...)

Nutri-Medias: A new tool empowering young people when facing food industry advertisement

COFACE, the Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union, recently launched a new education tool in the arena of food and nutrition aimed at emphasising the link between food marketing and advertising. Due to the fact that the majority of studies evaluating the links between food marketing/advertising and young peoples’ behaviours are sponsored, in one way or another, very few of these studies are trustworthy. Yet, these papers do emphasise the impact that advertising (...)

Second Poverty Convention urges EU Member States to invest in social policies for human capital and social cohesion.

The Second Annual Convention of the Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion took place this December 5-7. It stressed the need for robust social policies at national and EU level able to deal with the current economic and social crisis. Ever since the poverty reduction targets were agreed (20 million by 2020), the numbers of poor and socially excluded people in the EU have actually risen. In order to support social inclusion of disadvantaged people, access to adequate services and (...)

[Press Release] Child poverty is not the problem itself - It is a symptom

December 6, Brussels- The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) held a half-day conference entitled “From Rhetoric to Action – Tackling Child Poverty and Promoting Children’s Health and Well-being in the EU.“ The debate, co-hosted by the Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Jean Lambert (UK, Greens/EFA) and various MEPs (1) this week at the European Parliament in Brussels, brought together more than 15 anti-poverty experts and civil society representatives (2) (...)

The European Economic and Social Committee publishes its opinion on advertising and children

In September 2012, the European Economic and Social Committee published its opinion on "A framework for advertising aimed at young people and children". Among its main messages, the Report regrets that the current advertising framework is not protective enough and urges the European Commission to consider the adoption of more restrictive measures. Concerned by the rising presence of online media, especially social media and their sometimes intrusive not to say inappropriate actions, the (...)

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. (...)

EPHAC Press Release. World Food Day – Agricultural cooperatives key to feeding the world

16 October 2012, Brussels - The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) World Food Day provides an opportunity to highlight the plight of the millions of undernourished people in the World, BUT also the increasing problem of overconsumption and associated chronic conditions of overweight and obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. EPHAC Press Release. World Food Day – Agricultural cooperatives key to feeding the world. The co-existing (...)

EPHA contributes to the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights on the Right of the Child to Health

At the beginning of September 2012, EPHA submitted a six-page contribution to the Child Advisor of the UN OHCHR, summarising various issues that are within its remit related to children’s health and well-being. EPHA highlighted innovative, relevant EU-level practices, as well as a list of issues to be considered when making the right to health of children a reality. After having received a letter from the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights requesting input from civil (...)