Update 66

Update 66, "Making Trade Work for Health" - now available online

EU Trade Commissioner, Pascal Lamy, will be in a position of awesome power when he attends the next World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in Cancun in September 2003. By then, with the accession agreements signed, he will represent the world’s number one economic power. At the Mexico meeting, he could ensure that Europe’s leadership is social as well as economic by charting a new path for a healthy, just and environmentally-friendly trade.
In this issue: Click on a title to (...)

EPHA seminar: Where Next for EU at Health Level?

EPHA held a seminar on Monday 2 December 2002 aimed at discussing and developing a future policy path. Presentations focused on the right to health in Europe, the Peoples’ health charter and the "Open Method of Co-ordination". Participants agreed that the future health competence at the European level was a priority.
The Convention on the Future of Europe appears to be downgrading the importance of health. This is of concern because it could ultimately affect changes to the constitution (...)

How the Commission Collaborates on International Public Health

The following notes outline the structure of the relationship of co-operation between the European Commission and the World Health Organization. It is based on a contribution from the Public Health Directorate’s Unit for Policy Analysis and Development headed by Bernard Merkel.
Exchange of letters
Co-operation between the European Commission and the World Health Organization (WHO) is based on three exchanges of letters (1972, 1982 and 2000).
Memorandum of Agreement
The third "Exchange (...)

Danes finalise, Greeks prioritise

Danish presidency: 1 July 2002 - 31 December 2002
Danes finalise enlargement process The European Council met in Copenhagen on 12 and 13 December 2002. The accession negotiations with Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia were signed and completed. The Presidency Conclusions state: "Today marks an unprecedented and historic milestone in completing this process […] The Union now looks forward to welcoming these (...)

Making Trade Work for Health - editorial

EU Trade Commissioner, Pascal Lamy will be in a position of awesome power when he attends the next World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in Cancun in September 2003. By then, with the accession agreements signed, he will represent the world’s number one economic power. At the Mexico meeting, he could ensure that Europe’s leadership is social as well as economic by charting a new path for a healthy, just and environmentally-friendly trade.
Until now, the US trade delegation has (...)

Trade and Health at a Glance

1851: First International Sanitary Conference aims at balancing the interests of trade with disease control.
1945/6: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD or World Bank) set up as UN specialised agencies to strengthen and add stability to the western economic model. Since then, Structural Adjustment Programmes have been used as conditions for loans pushing developing countries towards greater market liberalisation and (...)

Why Trade isn’t Working for Health

The implications of increasing global trade and new trade agreements are having a major impact on health. Francesco Longu, EPHA’s Policy Assistant specialising in trade issues, describes the background to health and trade and suggests what is going wrong.
Trade statistics show that in the last 50 years international trade has been constantly growing. The creation of an International Trade Organization, which was to have addressed serious problems for developing countries such as the (...)

Protecting Health in a Globalising World

Over the past three years, the World Health Organization has devoted considerable attention to the effects of trade on health and sustainable development. Here, Robert Beaglehole of the Department of Health and Development identifies what WHO sees as the main risks and opportunities of globalisation for public health. In brief, WHO recommends and assists governments to develop strong national health policies.
The World Health Organisation is the main intergovernmental agency responsible (...)

The problems with Trade for Health

The European Public Health Alliance and many other non-governmental organisations are concerned that the benefits of trade are not directed towards the objectives of health and development, and that some aspects of the current trading arrangements are adverse to the promotion of international public health. Diana Smith, "Update" Editor, describes some of the key areas of concern.
An unfair distribution of the benefits of trade Trade is a powerful instrument but much of its potential to (...)

Harnessing Trade to Reduce Social Inequalities

Trade should be the means and poverty reduction the end, writes Genevra Forwood of Solidar, an international NGO involved in building "Citizens’ Europe" by involving people in building a social Europe. She provides some visions of how the World Trade Organization (WTO) could be reformed.
The European Union was built on the pursuit of peace, but also the pursuit of prosperity and equity - a similar challenge to the one confronting us today on a global level. European integration was always (...)

Resources on Trade and Health

Health
WTO Agreements and Public Health, a joint WHO/WTO report, 2002.
Revision of the International Health Regulations, Public Health and Trade, Comparing the role of three international organisations, WHO Wkly Epidem. Rec., No. 25, 1999, pp. 193-201.
"Global trade and health: key linkages and future challenges" by D. Bettcher et al, Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 78 (4), 2000.
"World Trade Organization: World Trade and Population Health" by Ron Labonte, IUHPE, and "The (...)

Interview: Robert Madelin, DG Trade

Interview with Robert Madelin who coordinates the European Commission’s trade dialogue with civil society.
EPHA question: EPHA believes that the views and resources of transnational corporations carry too much weight in World Trade Organization talks as compared with those of UN specialised agencies, such as the World Health Organization, and civil society. How can a greater balance be achieved?
Robert Madelin: All players in the process have an opportunity to influence the talks only (...)