Newsletter April 2003

April 2003 newsletter

The EPHA Newsletter for April 2003 is now available online. You can download the newsletter below, as a PDF or as a RTF file, or consult the main articles online by clicking here.
Here is the table of contents:
EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS NEWS
THE PARLIAMENT
SARS outbreak and EU competence on health
EP Approves Pet Passport Regulation
European Patent Office confirms revocation of baby blood patent
MEPs vote to ban stem cell research
Debate on free movement in the EU
Dangerous substances (...)

IAVI organises Symposium in the EP

The EPHA Secretariat acted as the logistics organiser for the International Aids Vaccine Iniative (IAVI) Symposium organised in the European Parliament on 17 June 2003.
The event brought together Parliamentarians, journalists, experts and advocates to raise awareness about the urgency of the need for an AIDS vaccine and to examine the potential contribution of European research and development.
IAVI (...)

Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) Board Meeting and Policy Documents

The CPME held its Board Meeting on the 29th March 2003, and issued the following policy documents on 9th April 2003:
CPME Resolution on the publication of "Tobacco Under the Microscope - The Doctors’ Manifesto for Global Tobacco Control"
Drinking water
Noise pollution and environmental action plan
Plan to combat drug
Statement on the legislative process for the adoption of amendments of the Community Code on medicinal products for human use as regards traditional herbal medicine (...)

Stop AIDS Alliance Launch

The Stop AIDS Alliance, an initiative of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, UK, and Stop AIDS Now, Netherlands, was launched at the European Parliament on 23rd of April 2003.
The launch followed a well-attended roundtable on the Challenges of Implementing Highly Active Anti-retroviral Therapy in Resource Poor Settings. The Stop AIDS Alliance aims to strengthen EU policy and programming on HIV/AIDS.
The contact person in Brussels is Ms. Wanijku (...)

Major US study to analyse environmental impact on children’s health

A US National Children’s Study which will study 100,000 uterine children until they are 21 years old is planned to start in 2006.
The study is being planned by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
The goal is to determine how environmental factors impact children’s health and which genes can make that (...)

Joint EPHA - Greenpeace Press Release: ’Protect the Public from Chemicals in Household Products’

Research shows that dust collected from homes across Europe contains substantial amounts of hazardous chemicals, some of them linked to cancer. The Greenpeace report ’Consuming Chemicals’ reveals that homes are contaminated by "hidden" toxic chemicals contained in everyday household consumer products including textiles, televisions, cosmetics and toys.
At a press conference in Brussels the European Public Health Alliance and the European Consumers Organisation (BEUC) joined (...)

Annual Analysis of Pesticides in Fruit and Vegetables

Pesticide levels in fruit and vegetables across the EU remain constant.
The European Commission annual survey published on 22 April 2003 notes that 59 % of samples have no detectable residue, but 37 % contained traces of pesticides at or below the Maximum Residue Level (MRL) and 3.7 % exceeded the MRL. However, one trend causes concern, 18 % of the samples showed more than one pesticide present. This is an increase from previous years. The products tested were apples, grapes, tomatoes, (...)

Precautionary Principle and EMF

Conducting Human Health and Environmental Risk Assessment and Risk Management under the precepts of Precautionary Principle represents challenges and opportunities for scientists, policy makers and the public.
Responding to the need to provide a framework and test it in a case study, the World Health Organization, The European Commission and the US National Institute of Environmental Health Science held a 3 day meeting on "Application of the Precautionary Principle to (...)

Environment and Health Committee (EEHC) Meeting in Copenhagen

EPHA Policy Director Genon Jensen attended the Environment and Health Committee (EEHC) meeting in Copenhagen from 28-30 April 2003.
The EEHC is preparing for the June 2004 Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health to be held in Budapest. Genon Jensen provided an overview of NGO preparations for the conference and called for adequate resources (financial and structural) to be pledged by governments in order for a well planned NGO event to accompany the Budapest conference.
The newly (...)

Future of Nuclear Energy in the EU and Candidate Countries

Members of the European Convention are being called upon to reject proposals that would effectively introduce in a new EU constitution a primary legal requirement to promote nuclear power.
In a letter sent to all Convention members, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, WWF, the European Environment Bureau and over 100 other organisations have urged support instead for earlier proposals that would require the abolition of the Euratom treaty commitments.
Praesidium’s approach (...)

Water aid package in pipeline for poor countries

The European Commission adopted a plan on 23 April 2003 for creating an EU Water Fund worth one billion euros.
The Fund is designed to help developing countries provide clean water for their citizens and help reach a key international development goal.
Water paper
Water letter

Call to phase out phosphates in detergents

The European Parliament amended and tightened up the Commission’s text of a Regulation on detergents by including stricter conditions on derogations from biodegradability rules and clearer labelling for consumers. MEPs also took a stand on phosphates by urging the Commission to table a new legislative proposal specifically to phase out phosphates or restrict them to specific applications, three years after the Regulation takes effect.
The Parliament supported the rapporteur’s view (...)

All time spent by a doctor on call in a hospital constitutes working time

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled in the ’Jaegar’ case on 9th September 2003 that the time a doctor spends at the hospital - on call but resting - counts as working time.
The case, Landeshauptstadt Kiel v Norbert Jaeger, established the principle that a Community directive precludes national legislation which categorises on-call duty as rest time save for periods of actual activity.
That interpretation is not altered by the fact that the employer makes available to the doctor a (...)

Accession Treaty Signed

The accession treaty was signed on 16 April 2003 at the informal European Council by the current 15 EU Member States and Cyprus, Czech republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia. The 5th enlargement of the EU will take place on 1 May 2004, although these government representatives will participate in Council and Parliament activites as observers between now and next May.
More (...)

Next Candidates for Accession?

Bulgaria and Romania are expected to enter the EU in 2007 if they fulfil all the membership criteria. Turkey’s candidature will be reviewed at the end of 2004 and Ankara will be able to start accession negotiations if it fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria. On 14 April 2003, the Council asked the Commission to submit its opinion on Croatia’s formal application to join, submitted in February 2003. The Commission has also offered the possibility of closer cooperation and potential EU (...)

SARS Outbreak and EU Competence on Health

On 7 April 2003, MEP Proinsias DE ROSSA (PES, Ireland), urged an EU wide response to the recent outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). He also called for the EU to be given similar powers for the protection in human health as it has for the protection of animal health.
More information

European Patent Office Confirms Revocation of Baby Blood Patent

The European Patent Office (EPO) confirmed on 8 April 2003 its decision made in 1999 to revoke all the PharmaStem (formerly Biocyte) patent claims on collecting, freezing and using blood from foetuses and umbilical cords for transplants and medical and therapeutic treatments.
Greens/EFA press release

Dangerous Substances Document Approved

On 9 April 2003 the EP approved without amendments the Common Position of the Council on restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations (substances classified as carcinogens, mutagens or substances toxic to reproduction - c/m/r).

May 2003, Convention Timetable and Possible Referendum

The Convention must finish its work by June 2003, the planned endpoint. The many calls for an extension of the Convention’s work were ignored by Member States at the Athens summit.
64 Convention members, representing parliaments and governments from 25 countries, have called for the ratification of the future EU Constitutional Treaty via a referendum. On March 31 2003 they tabled a proposal for a referendum to be held in June 2004 on the same day as European Parliament elections.
A (...)

May 2003, Convention Final Steps

EPHA has been following the latest developments in the Convention for the Future of Europe, sending regular emails to our members and interested representatives of other organisations, as well as European Institutions.
EPHA activity is now focused on the Convention final steps:
Before 15 May: EPHA will contact the members of the Praesidium to remind them of the importance of including public heath in their draft text as an objective of the Union in article 3 and a shared competence in (...)

Briefing Note: Convention Plenary, 24-25 April

At the beginning of the Plenary session the Praesidium presented the new draft articles on the Institutional reform, the External Relations (Title VIII, Part I) and the CFSP (Common Foreign and Security Policy) and Defence (articles 29 and 30).
These articles will be debated in the next Plenary (15th and 16th May), and are considered as the most controversial ones.
The members of the Convention clearly expressed their wish of debating this issue a.s.a.p. There were a few proposals to (...)

April 2003, Optimism for Public Health in the Treaty

On 15 April 2003, Commissioner David Byrne delivered a speech in the Institute of Politics at John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge (US), where he said: "I am pressing for increased competencies at EU level to cope with common health threats such as communicable diseases, bio terrorism and other public health concerns that do not respect national frontiers. My reasoning for ’more Brussels’ in this area is supported by all Health (...)

Sweeteners in the Spotlight

On 10 April 2003 the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the Commission to tighten proposed restrictions on cyclamates in soft drinks.
The resolution, adopted by 440 votes to 20, with 13 abstentions, extends the new limit to milk-based drinks in addition to water-based drinks. Furthermore the EP accepted the Commission’s proposal to authorise two new sweeteners, sucralose and aspartame-acesulfame salt but with a review of their use within three years and a re-examination of (...)

12 EU Countries still not Implementing GMO Laws

The EU Commission is preparing to take legal action over poor implementation of environmental laws on genetically modified organisms (GMO). It has taken the second step in the procedure to force 12 Member States to comply with EU laws covering the release of GMOs into the environment.
More information on Europa server

Chocolate Marketing Campaign to UK School Children

The chocolate manufacturer Cadbury is launching a £9m campaign to encourage children to buy 160m chocolate bars, containing nearly 2m kg of fat, to trade in for "free" sports equipment for their schools. The initiative is supported by the UK government because ’it will help to tackle obesity’.
The Guardian

Pet passport regulation approved

The so-called "pet passport" Regulation on health requirements of non-commercial movement of animals will enter into force on 3 July 2004.
This Regulation aims to facilitate the free movement of pet animals and harmonise animal-health measures and controls, guaranteeing a high level of protection for human and animal health.
It applies to pets such as: dogs, cats, ferrets, invertebrates (except bees and crustaceans), ornamental tropical fish, amphibia, reptiles, birds (except poultry), (...)

MEPs Vote to Ban Stem Cell Research

MEPs voted on 10 April 2003 against the practice of creating human embryos for medical research purposes, the first major step towards an EU-wide ban.
The practice of so-called ’therapeutic cloning’, banned in some EU countries but legal in the UK, sees embryos created in order for their stem-cells (or master cells) to be used for medical research. Following the plenary vote, the Industry Committee organised a hearing of experts on the wider aspects of research involving embryonic stem (...)

Debate on Free Movement of Citizens in the EU

On 28/29 April 2003 the EP Committee on Employment and Social Affairs of the European Parliament discussed the draft report by Jean Lambert MEP (Greens/EFA, UK) on freedom of movement of European citizens.
MEP Herman Schmid, (European United Left/Nordic Green Left, SE) raised the concern that more flexible rules could lead to health tourism which could not be controlled or stopped. Professor Yves Jorens from the University of Ghent, on the other hand, stated that there is no need to be (...)

Reform of the UN Conventions on Drugs Rejected by the European Parliament

Plans to mandate the European Council to reform the UN Conventions on drugs were rejected at the 8 April 2003 plenary of the European Parliament.
Rapporteur MEP Kathalijne Maria Buitenweg (Greens/EFA, Netherlands), was so dissatisfied by the amendments made by the EPP-ED and EDD political groups to her draft report of 24 March 2003 that she voted against her own report.
MEPs decided to maintain support for the current UN Conventions and to call for full implementation by the Member (...)

Who Do Europeans Trust to Give them Health Information?

Health professionals, such as doctors and pharmacists, are still by far the most important source of health information for Europeans and the traditional media - television, newpapers, magazines - still outperform the internet.
A Eurobarometer survey published by the European Commission showed that medical and health organisations achieve the highest trust rating on health issues (84%), while businesses and political parties receive the lowest (16% and 11% respectively).
Across the EU, (...)

Rise in Drug Use in CEE

While EU-15 Member State drug consumption has stayed relatively stable, consumption of illicit drugs has seen a sharp increase in the countries now joining the Union. These are the findings of a report issued by the EU’s drugs agency, EMCDDA.
The agency notes that drug use has increasingly come to be seen as a leisure activity in these countries and the consumption levels have risen steadily in line with alcohol and tobacco use. Of particular concern is drugs in youth culture and the (...)

Overview of Social Protection in Future Member States

Following a Conference on the modernisation of social protection systems in the candidate countries in December 2002, the European Commission has released on its website the full 13 reports on the situation per country.

ECOSOC Draft Opinion on Healthcare

The ECOSOC Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship Committee on Healthcare has prepared a preliminary draft Opinion on access, quality and the financial viability of healthcare systems in EU Member States.
This is an own-initiative opinion and it was discussed on 25 April 2003, with adoption foreseen for July 2003.

Health Equity Information

The Global Health Watch Project from the Epidemiology Unit of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has published "Organisations, people, networks and resources of relevance to health equity work in low and middle income countries".
It is an information resource detailing organisations, people, networks and resources relevant to work on health inequities, covering those with a strong interest in health inequities, as well as outlining the health equity interest of some of the (...)

World NGO Forum on Ageing

The report of the World NGO Forum on Ageing has been finished. The Forum took place in Madrid from 5 to 9 April 2002 in parallel to the UN World Assembly on Ageing.
The report (both in English and Spanish) is a useful tool which provides the list of activities carried out as well as the list of participants in the Forum, and information on the preparatory process. It also provides brief notes on the outcomes of the many (...)

One Third of Cancer Cases could be prevented through Government Action, says WHO

According to a new publication by the World Health Organisation (WHO), cancer rates could be significantly reduced by stemming tobacco use and improving diet and physical activity. The EU addresses these factors in the framework of its Community Action Programme for Public Health.
The WHO’s World Cancer Report predicts the number of cancer cases will increase globally from 10 million in 2000 to 15 million by 2020. The sharp rise is a result of ageing populations, the prevalence of (...)

Prodi Calls on US to Shift Position on Cheaper Drugs

Speaking in Brussels on 28 April 2003, Commission President Romano Prodi, asked the United States for a "positive signal" to help break the deadlock in WTO negotiations designed to improve developing countries’ access to cheap medicines.
The President told a gathering of business leaders, NGOs and politicians that the EU is "waiting for a positive signal" from Washington to end the stalemate in key WTO negotiations.
More information on Europa (...)

European Commission amends Proposed Herbal Medicines Directive

On 9 April 2003 the Commission adopted a new position on this Directive, extending the simplified registration procedure to medicinal products containing non-herbal ingredients.
The European Parliament’s first reading and vote on Commission’s original proposal was finalised in November 2002 and the new Commission position takes account of some of the Parliament’s 24 amendments.
The changes are:
broadened responsibilities of the new Committee for Herbal Medicinal Products of the (...)