Consumer Protection

[Joint media reaction] Minimum Alcohol Price: Scottish High Court on the side of public health

Brussels, 3 May – Today, the Scottish Government has won a case on Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) for alcohol (1) in the Scottish High Court - the first legally-binding minimum price on alcohol within the EU. Now the alcohol industry will have 21 days to decide whether it has grounds for appeal. MUP sets a floor price below which alcohol cannot be legally sold and unlike taxation, MUP prices alcoholic beverages based on their strength. Alcohol misuse hits the poor badly, most of whom (...)

[Joint Press Release] In the fight against alcohol misuse, pricing policies are the way to go

Brussels, 24 April – Today Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from various political groups, along with representatives of governments, leading academics and public health organisations (1), have renewed their support for strong measures to bring down the current high rate of alcohol misuse in Europe. The seminar also served to launch in Europe the ’Alcohol and Cancer’ report (2). “If policy-makers are serious about tackling the danger that heavy (...)

EPHA Working Group on Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM)

Please find below information on the EPHA Working Group on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), which met for the first time in January 2013. All interested EPHA members are welcome to join the group regardless of whether or not they are actively working on CAM issues. The Working Group on CAM falls under EPHA’s Strategic Aim 2 on Health Systems, which covers issues related to health professionals, health threats and communicable diseases, healthcare services / health (...)

[Update] Audiovisual Media Service Directive Implementation report adopted by the European Parliament

The European Commission publishes the "Principles for Better Self- and Co-Regulation"

These principles, which constitute a basis for consensus and constructive dialogue between business and civil society’s organisations, are the first results of the Commission’s strategy on Corporate Social Responsibility. Given the "necessity of creating conditions favorable to sustainable growth, responsible business behavior and durable employment generation in the medium and long term" the European Commission released, in October 2011, "A renewed EU strategy 2011-2014 for (...)

A Greener Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) crucial for Public Health Community

The European Policy Centre (EPC) think tank, in cooperation with the World Wide Fund (WWF) European Policy Office, organised a Policy Dialogue on 14 February, on the topic of ‘What future for the Common Agricultural Policy?’ The European Public Health & Agriculture Consortium (EPHAC) contributed to the debate highlighting the messages of the public health community towards the ongoing CAP reform. Discussions on the common agricultural policy (CAP) are already heated, with (...)

[The Brussels Business] Interactive website and film

Arte TV, a Franco-German TV network, has just launched an online interactive app to foster dialogue between Brussels-based representatives in the EU Parliament and citizens, so both get to debate EU related issues online. The Brussels Business Online - Have your say The concept is simple: For eight weeks, the Arte TV team will be based inside the EU Parliament in Brussels in order to offer a “window of dialogue and action” on issues debated among EU lawmakers. This (...)

Consultation for the review of the European policy on organic agriculture

Organic farming and production play a significant economic role in the EU’s agricultural landscape. They can provide a market-oriented alternative for agricultural producers wishing to respond to the increasing demand for high-quality, eco-friendly products. In this consultation, the European Commission would like your views on how organic farming should be best developed. The Public Consultation is available on the website of the European Commission Background - organic farming (...)

Sugar users ‘disappointed’ by agriculture committee vote to keep sugar quotas

Sugar users were dealt a blow on sugar quota reform, after the European agriculture committee voted to extend the current system to 2020, rejecting a proposal to end quotas by 2015. Further detaild are available in the Food navigator website EPHA related articles EU and Member States’ strategies on nutrition, overweight and obesity WHO Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health National Obesity Forum Annual Conference "Obesity and the Economics of Prevention: (...)

Health and transparency NGOs demand Commission implements UN tobacco lobbying rules

On January 17, EPHA, along with three other civil society organisations, has joined forces to write an open letter to José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. The appeal warns about the failure of the European Commission to properly implement Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The letter, signed by EPHA, the Alliance for Lobby Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU), Corporate Accountability International, (...)