children and adolescents

New Council of Europe Strategy on the Rights of the Child

The Council of Europe adopted a new 2012-2015 Strategy for the Rights of the Child. The strategy aims to provide guidance and support to actors in the field on how to make the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child a day-to-day reality for children in the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe. The strategy focuses on four main objectives: promoting child-friendly services and systems (in the areas of justice, health and social services); eliminating all forms of violence (...)

Exposure to alcohol brands in movies increases binge drinking, show researchers

"The more adolescents are exposed to films where characters consume large amounts of alcohol, the more they are likely to start drinking or progress to binge drinking" says the last BMJ Study on the impact of alcohol exposure in movies and in family settings. The results of the study echo previous studies and reinforce the need to increase efforts in alcohol exposure, notably for children and adolescents. The British Medical Journal published the results of a study conducted with a group (...)

Interested in tobacco control? Become a member of the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention!

Interested in tobacco control? Willing to get involve in smoking and tobacco prevention? The European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention just launched a call for membership. Further information available below. The European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP) is an independent, international not-for-profit organisation founded under Belgian law which aims to put an end to tobacco consumption and to develop a common strategy, amongst organizations active in smoking (...)

Environmental health inequalities in Europe. WHO Europe Assessment report

The newly published report from the WHO Center on Environment and Health (ECEH) assessing environmental health inequalities in Europe, emphasizes that interventions to tackle them need to be based on an assessment of their magnitude and on the identification of population groups that are most exposed or most vulnerable to environmental risks. WHO Europe Report: Environmental health inequalities in Europe. Assessment report. In the WHO European Region one citizen out of five dies from (...)

The European Commission and OECD boost co-operation on early childhood education and care.

The European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have decided to enhance policy co-operation in the area of early childhood education and care. Education and high quality care are one of the key social determinants of health, characterised by a strong social gradient, persistent and growing inequalities. The European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have decided to enhance policy co-operation in (...)

EPHA express its disappointment in an Open Letter to the Polish Government on abandoned proposal to raise VAT on unhealthy food products.

In response to the news announcing that the Polish Parliament proposal to increase the current value added tax (VAT) from 8 to 23% on a series of unhealthy products, had been abandoned, EPHA has sent an Open Letter to the Polish Government. Having consistently advocated for actions to reduce the level of obesity around Europe, EPHA expressed its sincere disappointment to such a missed opportunity. EPHA Open Letter to the Polish Prime Minister and Polish Ministers of Health, Agriculture and (...)

EPHA priorities for the 7th Environment Action Programme

EPHA sent comments to the European Parliament draft own initiative report on the 7th Environment Action Programme to ensure that the European Parliament position will take into account fostering a health-promoting physical and social environment as part of the future Environment Action Programme of the EU. Fostering a health-promoting physical (and social-) environment as one of the core determinants of health and well-being at population level, remains one of the key policy and advocacy (...)

Can Europe’s new Quality Framework for SGI protect the social dimension of the Single Market?

On 20 December 2011, the European Commission has adopted a Quality Framework for Services of General Interest (SGI) in the EU, which is to guarantee that high quality services can be provided in an efficient and cost-effective manner in relevant areas such as health care, child care, care for the elderly and social housing. The Quality Framework is meant to reinforce the social dimension of the Single Market. It is hoped that it will help to take better account of the specific nature of (...)

Priorities of the Danish Presidency in the area of Agriculture and Food

With the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union taking over as of January 2012, the Danish Minister of Agriculture spoke to both the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the EC DG Agriculture at their meetings on 23-25 January 2012. This article presents the most important issues to be dealt in the field of agriculture and food in the next 6 months. Work Programme of the Danish Presidency - Agriculture and Fisheries Unveiling the Danish (...)

Commission adopts proposal for public procurement overhaul

Pursuant to the public consultation that took place in the spring of 2011, the European Commission adopted its proposals on the revision of the public procurement Directives on 20 December 2011. The revision is part of an overall programme to thoroughly modernise public tendering in the European Union in support of the Europe 2020 strategy. The modernisation programme includes the revision of Directive 2004/17/EC (procurement in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors) and (...)