May Newsletter 2010

Counterfeit Medicines - legislative update

In this article you can find out more information about the process, as well as EPHA’s position on the file. **Update May 2011: Council adopts Counterfeits directive** The Directive on Medicinal products for human use: prevention of the entry into the legal supply chain of falsified medicinal products (amend. Directive 2001/83/EC) has been adopted by the Council of the European Union. The Directive was agreed upon under the Belgian Presidency on its first reading with only one (...)

Information to Patients - legislative update

The proposed Information to Patients Directive is one of the most controversial files currently debated in the European Parliament. In this article you can find updates on the proposal and the rapporteurs, and follow EPHA’s work on the topic since 2008. **Update December 2010: Plenary vote on Information to Patients** Following on from the vote in the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee in September 2010, the European Parliament voted on the Information to (...)

Europe 2020 Integrated Guidelines

**Update October 2010 ** Council adopts guidelines for the member states’ employment policies and Council conclusions on the Governance of the European Employment Strategy. In March 2010, the European Council issued its Conclusions on the European Commission’s Europe 2020 strategy. On that basis, the European Commission drafted the economic policy and employement guidelines that Member States will have to follow when drawing and implementing National Reform Programmes. The (...)

Almost 200 MEPs supported the Written Declaration on EU Workforce for Health

The Written Declaration on the EU Workforce for Health opened for signatures on Monday, 17 May 2010 at the European Parliament received the support of almost 200 MEPs. EPHA strongly supported the Written Declaration and welcomes the commitment of 1/4 of Members of the European Parliament. On 17 September 2010, the Written Declaration officially lapsed in the Parliament. It obtained 182 signatures from MEPs working in various committees and coming from across party lines. The Written (...)

EPHA-RCP Event: Passive Smoking and Children’s Health - New Evidence and a Call for Action

The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) joined forces on Wednesday 23rd June to co-organise a policy debate in the European Parliament. Marking the European launch of RCP’s new report, "Passive Smoking and Children", the event was hosted by Marina Yannakoudakis MEP (UK, ECR) and Theodoros Skylakakis MEP (Greece, EPP). **UPDATED: RCP REPORT LAUNCHED AT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT** The new report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) was (...)

May 2010 Newsletter

Welcome to the May 2010 Newsletter After a slow start to the year, and months of political reshuffling, the institutions were in full swing during the month of May. Suddenly progress seemed possible and achievable on dossiers which have been dragging - a renewed stimulus on the Patient Rights’ Directive as well as fierce negotiations on food labelling gave a momentum to the final weeks of the legislative term. Health inequalities remained high on the political agenda, with the (...)

Secretariat News May 2010

1. Activity and communication Annual General Assembly EPHA’s 2010 Annual General Assembly will take place on 17-18 June 2010 at the Martin’s Central Park Hotel on Boulevard Charlemagne in 1000 Brussels. More information on the event, including the draft agenda and location information is available here. As part of the AGA, there will be an Extraordinary Election of two new Members to the Executive Board. More information on the elections can be found here. Finally, this (...)

EPHA position on the reform of the Common Agriculture Policy

EPHA - the European Public Health Alliance has responded to the European Commission consultation on the Future of the Common Agriculture Policy, outlining what measures must be taken for a healthier Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) in Europe and outside of its boundaries. EPHA response to the consultation on CAP From a public health point of view, EPHA expects a CAP based on equity, the universal right to safe, affordable, nutritious food, as well as good governance and transparency in (...)

Development Policy Forum - Where is EU aid policy headed?

At the Development Policy Forum (DPF) Roundtable debate on 13 April 2010, European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs said that Europe needed to change its development aid paradigm – away from EU policies and towards developing countries’ policies. But what does that mean in terms of ownership of committments and actions? Will it improve development cooperation? Against the backdrop of ODA (Official Development Aid) figures showing a significant drop in development (...)

How does European trade policy impact on public health?

Belgian organisation "Action Platform for Health and Solidarity" organised a conference in the Belgian Senate to debate the impact of European trade policy on public health from a global perspective. This intervenes in a context in which the free trade agreements the European Union is negotiating with countries in the South can threaten the right to health. The Belgian Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence organised a conference on the impact of European trade policy on (...)