unhealthy products

[EPT] Urban Mobility Package – Commission initiative - The Urban Dimension of the EU Transport Policy (updated on 21 May 2013)

Urban Mobility Package – Commission initiative - The Urban Dimension of the EU Transport Policy A large majority of European citizens live in an urban environment, with over 60% living in urban areas of over 10.000 inhabitants. They live their daily lives in the same space, and for their mobility share the same infrastructure. Urban mobility accounts for 40% of all CO2 emissions of road transport and up to 70% of other pollutants from transport. European cities increasingly face (...)

EU Commission regulation proposal on sound level of motor vehicles- the relevance of EP Plenary vote

In December 2011, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a new regulation aimed at tightening noise emissions standards for cars, vans, lorries and buses. Although the Environmental Committee of the European Parliament has voted for tighter future noise limits for vehicles, the rapporteur disappointingly announced he would repeat the vote in a full Parliament Plenary. The Plenary vote took place on 6th February 2013. What’s the problem? More than 200 million European (...)

7th Environmental Action Programme: EPHA and HEAL meet the Environmental Attaché of the Irish Presidency

At the end of November, the Commission will publish its proposal for the next (7th) Environmental Action Programme (EAP). It will be on the agenda of the Irish Presidency of the EU. EPHA and the Health & Environmental Alliance (HEAL) met with the Irish environmental attaché on 8 November 2012. Relevance of the Environment Action Programmes for the public health community Environment in a larger sense has a huge influence on public health since it is not merely a matter of water, air (...)

EPHA analysis of the Commission’s proposal for a new Fund for European Aid for the Most Deprived

The strengths and weaknesses of the proposed fund: the new European Aid Fund for the Most Deprived, although broader in scope, is no replacement for full-fledged policies on food and nutrition poverty. This article is closely linked to EPHA’s Commission proposes new Fund for European Aid for the Most Deprived. On 25 October 2012, the European Commission released its proposal for a new Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD). The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) (...)

Workshop on pharmaceutical products and their impact on the environment from a public health perspective

On 19 September 2012, BIO IS (Intelligent Service) organised a technical workshop (attended by EPHA) on the legislative and non-legislative factors influencing the presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment. According to two recent pieces of legislation (Directive 2010/84/EU and (Regulation 1235/2010/EU) on the applicable rules on pharmaceuticals, the pollution of waters and soils with pharmaceutical residues is not only an emerging environmental problem - it may also have a significant (...)

HEAL workshop on Chronic Diseases and Endocrine Disruptors - Brussels, Sept. 14

On 14 September 2012 (the day after the Health & Environment Alliance’s (HEAL) Annual General Assembly (AGA), a special workshop was organised in Brussels to highlight the growing body of science and tools related to endocrine disruptors (EDCs) and chronic diseases. It also stressed the important contribution that health groups are making in this critical area of human health. Chronic Diseases and endocrine disruptors (EDCs) Objectives of the workshop were: To facilitate (...)

EPHA position on the European Commission’s 7th Environment Action Programme

In June 2012 EPHA took part in the European Commission public consultation on the 7th Environment Action Programme (EAP), to operate from July 2012. In its position EPHA emphasized the vital need to consider and promote health and equality issues, in particular the need to tackle overconsumption and inequalities in access and distribution of resources considered as public goods. 2012 EPHA Policy Position on the EU environment policy priorities for 2020: Towards the 7th Environment Action (...)

Bridging the Health Divide in Europe: reduce avoidable health inequalities and preventable respiratory diseases

Exchanging experiences to reduce avoidable health inequalities and preventable respiratory diseases were the focus of this year’s European Respiratory Society’s Summit "Bridging the Health Divide in Europe". The European Respiratory Society (ERS) hosted a Summit on health inequalities and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Tallinn in Estonia on June 8th and 9th 2012 to build on the goals set out in the Tallinn Charter: Health Systems for Health and Wealth; address health (...)

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 launches a consultation on Policy Recommendations for Health Equity

Further to launch of the European Charter for Health Equity in December 2010, and having collected more than 130 signatures from various multi-level and multi-sectoral stakeholders, EPHA is launching a consultation process on Policy Recommendations for Health Equity. In the framework of participatory process, we aim at delivering comprehensive and cross-sectoral messages for reducing health inequalities through focusing on social determinants of health. Further to signature of the European (...)