The Council

Irish Environment Minister talks to EP

Mr Martin Cullen, Minister for Environment and Local Government of Ireland, exchanged views with the MEPs of the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy on 20 January 2004.
The three environmental areas where the Irish presidency will be working are policy and legislation, input of Environmental Council and the effective participation of the EU in international environmental fora.
The legislative agenda of the Irish presidency will focus on combating the climate change, (...)

Liikanen presents consultation results on EU chemicals policy review to council

On 22 September, the Council took note of a presentation by Commissioner Erkki Liikanen on the result of Commission’s Internet consultation on draft legislation aiming at overhauling and modernising the existing EU regulatory system for chemicals and welcomed the Commission’s intention to present its final proposal within short.
In May 2003, the Commission launched an eight-week Internet consultation on the draft legislation on chemicals, which aimed at replacing the over 40 different (...)

Council adopts a legislative package aimed at facilitating free movements of goods in the EU.

On 23 June 2008, the European Council adopted a package of legal instruments dealing with the "mutual recognition" principle and with the "new approach" system.
The new package has the role to improve free movement of goods within the internal market by removing barriers to trade and enhancing competitiveness and safety for consumers. EPHA is concerned that this package does not take into account the possible concerns of European citizens following the policy impact of these instruments. (...)

Portuguese Presidency organises conferences on migrants and health and social services

Health and Migration in the EU - better health for all in an inclusive society
A major initiative of the Portuguese Presidency in the field of health, has been the conference "Health and Migration in the EU - better health for all in an inclusive society", held in Lisbon on 27 and 28 September.
The conference aimed at mobilizing Member States, national and international organizations, and some NGOs, to discuss proposals for interventions that would promote health, prevent disease, and (...)

Priorities of the EU Portuguese Presidency, 2007

Portugal outlines new prorities for the EU in preparation of its Presidential Mandate starting on 1 July 2007.
Health programme for the Portuguese Presidency
Portuguese Presidency priorities
On 11 June, Álvaro Mendonça e Moura, Portugal’s Permanent Representative to the European Union, set out the main priorities of the forthcoming presidency. For the next 6 months, the Portuguese Presidency will keep three main goals in focus:
Reinforcing the EU’s political underpinnings
On the short (...)

Revision of EU Constitutional Treaty: NGOs raise their voice

With the risk of a political "quick fix" of the Constitutional Treaty at the June 2007 European Council, NGOs call on a Social Europe and improved Civil Society Consultation.
On 21 and 22 June the European Council met for the last time under the German Presidency. The agenda included a point on the review of the EU Treaty.
The German Presidency had announced that they wanted to outline a precise "roadmap" for the review of the Treaty.
The risk of a political ‘quick-fix’at any price and (...)

Priorities of the EU German Presidency

This article has been updated with information regarding:
10 tests for the German Presidency designed by Social NGOs
The German Presidency’s Development Priorities
Future Presidencies of the European Union
Germany has taken over both the EU presidency and the Presidency of the G8 on the 1st January 2007.
The German EU presidency’s website will be launched on the 1st January 2007 together with an ambitious programme that, according to Ms Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, will (...)

*UPDATED* EU conference on “Health in All policies”

*This article has been updated the with the conclusions of the Council of Ministers of Health, 1 December 2006.* The Finnish presidency held on the a high level conference on “Health in All policies”.
Almost 270 participants gathered in Kuopio to discuss how the health community can contribute to mainstream health concerns in all policies.
Quite strikingly, the participants were all from health organisations and nearly no NGOs were invited. Health national institutes, (...)

EU High Level Meetings to be Televised

As of June 2006, Council of Minister meetings are to be televised, in a bid to increase the overall transparency, accountability and credibilty of the EU institutions.
The UK has withdrawn its opposition to the new transparency procedures at Council level, ending the European Union tradition of secretive, closed-door ministerial meetings.
EPHA welcomes the new move of the EU Council of Ministers to change their own practices, which is key both for the credibility of the EU Council, as well (...)

The Austrian Presidency’s Health Priorities and Progress in 2006

Austria held the rotating Presidency of the EU from 1 January to 30 June, 2006. What were the health-related priorities of the Austrian government during this period - and were they achieved?
Future Presidencies of the European Union
Food and food safety
The Austrian Presidency re-opened the current safety assessments done by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which, according to some member states, has approved GM products without proper research. However, Austria’s attempt at (...)

*UPDATED* The Health Priorities of the Finnish Presidency for 2006

After Austria, Finland will hold the rotating presidency of the European Union between July and December 2006.
Future Presidencies of the European Union
Both countries agreed on common issues that require their joint attention, but also set out their specificities: Helsinki plans to target the impact of other policies on health, active ageing and health in the working life.
Finland’s main themes: a healthy workforce and health in all policies (...)

Future Presidencies of the European Union

This article will be updated with links to information about each presidency as it becomes available.
The Council of the European Union has confirmed the order of the half yearly rotation of the presidency of the EU until June 2020.
; Year ; January-June ; July-December ; 2006 ; Austria ; Finland ; 2007 ; Germany ; Portugal ; 2008 ; Slovenia ; France ; 2009 ; Czech Republic ; Sweden ; 2010 ; Spain ; Belgium ; 2011 ; Hungary ; Poland ; 2012 ; (...)

Which health agenda for 2006?

The adoption of the European Commission (EC) overall work programme for 2006 gave the direction in which the EU would move in 2006. Prosperity, security, better regulation, transparency and the EU budget are the leading themes for 2006. Austria and Finland holds the rotating presidency.
Overall objectives and commitments of the EU
Although the achievement of the Lisbon Agenda will lead EU policies in the next 12 months, it should be noted that the Austrian and Finnish presidencies have set (...)

UK Presidency’s Health Priorities

The United Kingdom (UK) Presidency of the EU will begin 1 July and last till 31 December 2005.
Future Presidencies of the European Union
Presidency priorities and events
The general priorities of the UK Presidency will be: Economic reform, security, climate change, Africa.
Other issues that will be progressed are: Sustainable development, chemicals regulation for health, environment and competitiveness, reform of EU sugar regime, EU/US - strenghtening economic partnership.
The health (...)

Health in the Luxemburg Presidency

The Luxemburg Presidency began on 1 January 2005 and will last until 30 June 2005. Their website is already online.
Health Minister, Mars Di Bartolomeo, told MEPs about his priorities for the next six months. Read the report at the bottom of this article.
Luxemburg’s Prime Minister and current Council President Jean-Claude Juncker was in Strasbourg on 11 and 12 of January, where he presented the Luxembourg Presidency’s Programme to the Plenary Session of the European Parliament.
The (...)

Health Council discusses AIDS, nutritional claims and zoonotic diseases

Health ministers met on 6 December in Brussels, under the chairmanship of Hans Hoogervorst, the Dutch Minister for Health, Welfare and Sport.
The agenda included the debate on European strategy against HIV/AIDS, initial exchange of views on paediatric medicines, a review of progress on the draft Regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods, and the adoption of Council conclusions on zoonotic diseases.
Fight against HIV/AIDS
In line with the Commission working paper and the (...)

Control over imports of chemicals used in illicit drugs

The Council of Ministers agreed on a proposal for a Regulation to strengthen controls on the import of the chemicals that are used to manufacture illicit narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, in particular ecstasy, so-called drug precursors.
The existing legislation in this area, Regulation 3677/90, which the proposed Regulation would replace, must be modernised because in recent years the Community has become one of the world’s leading ecstasy manufacturers and exporters, using (...)

Health Council discusses OMC in healthcare

The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council met on the 4th October 2004 in Luxemburg.
Health and long-term care
The Council endorsed the Opinion of the Social Protection Committee on the Commission’s Communication regarding the application of the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) to health and long term care.
The Commission Communication proposed the following common objectives for the development and modernisation of health care provision and funding: (...)

Informal Health Council - "Healthcare in an Ageing Society - a Challenge for all European Countries"

An Informal Health Council convened on 9 and 10 September in Noordwijk to discuss the impact of population ageing on the affordability, accessibility and quality of European healthcare systems. The Informal Council did not arrive at binding decisions but its findings will provide a direction for further action.
EU Health Ministers have agreed, among other things, on the necessity to stimulate evidence-based policies towards chronic diseases, promote upstream prevention strategies as well (...)

EU ministers address HIV/AIDS threat in Europe

EU health ministers and AIDS experts from across the EU met in Vilnius, Lithuania on 16-17 September 2004 for a conference entitled Europe and HIV/AIDS: New Challenges, New Opportunities. It was organised jointly by the Lithuanian government and the European Commission and followed up on the Ministerial Conference on HIV/AIDS of 23-24 February this year during the Irish Presidency of the EU (see related EPHA’s article).
The main outcome of the conference was the adoption of a (...)

Dutch Presidency releases report on health in Europe

The Dutch Presidency has released a publication on health in Europe entitled ’How do we do?’. The document provides health data and examples from across the EU but with special reference to the Netherlands.
This booklet looks at health in the EU from a Dutch perspective. If possible, data is presented for the new EU and compared to the Netherlands. Chapter one deals with aspects of health status. Chapter two focuses on determinants of health. The third chapter is dedicated to (...)

Health in the Dutch presidency, 2004

The Dutch Presidency begins on 1 July 2004 and the website has been launched.
The main theme for the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport’s contribution to the Presidency will be the relationship between health and other policies, with the emphasis on the interests of the citizens in an EU of 25.
For this purpose the ministry is to organize an ’Informal Council’, to discuss the relationship between the internal market and health.
July
October
; 4 ; Employment, Soc. Policy, Health (...)

IGC adopts a new Constitution for Europe

EU leaders concluded the Brussels Summit on 18 June 2004 by reaching agreement on the text of the new Treaty which provides a Constitution for Europe.
Currently the EU is governed by the Nice Treaty, signed in December 2000 and which came into force in February 2003. The New Constitutional Treaty will, if ratified, enter into force in 2009.
The Irish Prime Minister stated:
"The Constitutional Treaty brings the Union’s basic law into one document for the first time. It reflects the needs of (...)

EU Presidency urges action on services of general interest

The Irish Presidency has submitted to the European Council a review of progress since the Spring summit and outlined areas for future priority EU action.
The document highlighted progress achieved on mobility of European citizens, businesses and services; through legislation on recognition of professional qualifications, social security co-ordination, the Europass and the introduction of the European Health Insurance Card.
The Presidency invited the Council to address drug abuse and drug (...)

EU Treaty Article on public health discussed, 17 May

EU Foreign Ministers meet in Brussels on 17-18 May 2004 for the next step in the IGC negotiations. In preparation, the Irish Presidency issued two new documents on 13 May that resulted from a Focus points meeting.
Document CIG 76/04 contains the provisions of the Constitution on which the Presidency states that a broad consensus emerged among experts the focal points meeting on 4 May. Article III-179 (ex 152) stays as it was in document CIG 73/04 (for a through analysis of this document, (...)

Business leaders and EU Competitiveness Council exchange views

On 26 April 2004, the Irish Presidency organised a round table discussion between the EU Competitiveness Council and leading US and European business leaders. The agenda included a discussion of the challenges facing European industry, particularly from lower-cost economies in the Far East, and the continuing productivity gap with the US.
The Presidency highlighted the need for a fast agreement to the draft Framework Directive on Services saying that "there are so many barriers in Europe to (...)

IGC Developments - April 2004

At the European Council on 25/26 March 2004, the Irish Presidency provided a Report CIG 70/04 with the result of bilateral meetings with the EU 25 countries, the Commission and the Parliament.
The latest IGC discussions were based on the Italian Presidency proposals for the Brussels summit on 12-13 December 2003 which ended without agreement.
The UK, France and Germany held a trilateral summit on 16 February 2004 and set out their vision of Europe’s role in health.
The Irish (...)

Results of Competitiveness Council, 11 March 2004

The Competitiveness Council representing EU Ministers met on 11th March 2004 to discuss Internal Market, Enterprise and Consumer Protection issues.
The Council failed to reach agreement on the proposed Regulation creating a Community Patent, despite the agreement on the broad outlines reached by the same Council in March 2003. The main sticking point was how infringements of patents which might arise as a result of mistranslations should be treated. In the absence of agreement, the (...)

Irish presidency to take actions on heart health

The Irish presidency is encouraging consensus amongst European stakeholders on the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
During the first 6 months of 2004, European governments will agree a policy for promoting cardiovascular health in Europe and a protocol on the type of data collected on coronary care patients.
The Irish Department of Health and Children will work closely with the European Society of Cardiology, European Heart Network (an EPHA member) and the Irish Cardiac Society to (...)

EU Agencies under discussion

The European Council meeting of heads of government on 13 December 2003 agreed on how to distribute EU agencies among the Member States.
It was decided that a Community Fisheries Control Agency should be established as a matter of urgency, and the Agency would be based in Spain. In November 2003, EU countries had agreed in principle to establish a European Borders Management Agency by 01/2005 but no location has been decided yet. But the December Summit agreed that after enlargement in May (...)

Public health in the priorities of the Irish EU Presidency

The Irish Presidency of the European Union has recently relased his official Work Programme "Europeans - Working Together". The document also includes some key references to public health.
The paper states: "The Irish Presidency intends to focus on improved public health protection and added value at European level. It will aim to secure adoption of key health measures while ensuring that health considerations are fully reflected in measures covering other areas of EU activity".
"Key (...)

IGC ends in failure

The InterGovernmental Conference ended without agreement during the day on Saturday 13 December 2003. The voting weights for Spain and Poland were the issue that brought the IGC to a standstill.
What does this mean for the draft Constitutional Text? Several commentators have noted that there is likely to be a period of reflection and stock-taking rather than a rush to re-start negotiations. It is expected that the Irish government will produce a status report in Spring 2004 but any (...)

IGC endgame - Results of the Foreign Ministers ’Conclave’

Under the Presidency of Minister for Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini, the "Conclave" of EU Foreign Ministers met on 28-29 November 2003. The Ministers discussed the Italian Presidency’s draft of 25 November and to outline the agenda of the IGC session at Head of State and Government level to be held in mid-December at the same time as the European Summit.
The results of the meeting were some significant agreements: each country to have their own Commissioner with voting rights. Progress (...)

Environment Council conclusions, 27 October 2003

Conclusions of the Environment Council meeting of Monday 27 October 2003 in Luxemburg.
The Council adopted positions on
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) The Council reached agreement on a political compromise text from the Presidency for a Draft Directive to reduce emissions of VOCs from organic solvents in certain paints, varnishes and vehicle refinishing products. Greece abstained. These compounds are linked to harmful ground-level ozone. The Directive sets maximum limits on organic (...)

September 2003, timing of the 6th IGC

; 5/6 September ; Informal General Affairs and External Relations Council - Riva del Garda ; 4 October 2003 ; General Affairs Council Rome ; 14 October ; General Affairs Council Luxembourg ; 17/18 October ; European Council in Brussels: the composition of the Commission, qualified majority, Foreign Minister and defence will be on the agenda. ; 26/27 October ; General Affairs Council, Brussels. The agenda will include "non-institutional matters", which means public policies (and (...)

EU legislation to cut down food borne diseases

On 29 September, the Agriculture Council adopted the two laws proposed by the Commission in Agust 2001 and backed by Parliament in May 2002 on protective measures against "zoonoses" (diseases transmissible between animals and humans).
Zoonoses include diseases like salmonella, campylobacter, listeria and toxin producing E. coli.
The legislation will enter into force on its day of publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Commission press release.
Conclusions of the (...)

11 European health ministers sign the "Prague Declaration"

Last 21 September, Health ministers of eight new Member States (Cyprus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovak Republic and Slovenia), as well as Austria, Greece and Italy, set up a Steering Group of health ministers to cooperate more closely in the field of health and social care.
The so-called "Prague Declaration" was signed in the presence of representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Please find it attached at the end of this article.
In this (...)

Informal Health Ministers meeting 5-6 September

The Health Ministers of the European Union Member States and Candidate Countries met on 5-6 September in Milan, to discuss health-related issues and to plan the future European public health policies.
Among the main themes discussed at the Informal Meeting of European Ministers for Health were: a strategy for the promotion of healthy lifestyles, European health policies on prevention and control of infectious diseases, patient mobility and access to treatment, environment and health and (...)

September 2003, debate on the IGC in the EP

Last Wednesday 3rd September, the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasburg, dedicated one of its debates to the Convention for the Future of Europe.
Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (Chairman of the Convention), Romano Prodi (European Commission President) and the Italian Presidency, represented by Gianfranco Fini (Deputy Prime Minister) and Franco Frattini (Foreign Minister) dialogued with the MEPs about the Convention and the IGC.
Warning against changes to the 16-month work of the (...)

Scoreboard Shows Greek Presidency Results

The Greek Presidency issued last Wednesday 25 July the results of the 2003 Greek Presidency by Policy Area.
The ’scoreboard’ can be found in the website of the Greek Presidency.
This document will serve as background material for the debate of the Greek Presidency outcome in the plenary session of the European Parliament on the 1 July in Strasburg.
Speech by Romano Prodi to the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasburg: ’Greek Presidency closes on high (...)

June 2003, Thessaloniki Summit: verdict of Member States on the Convention

Valery Giscard d’Estaing presented the Constitutional text to the Member State representatives in the Thessaloniki Summit. Although there was a general acceptance of the text as a ’good basis for the IGC’, some countries insisted on their concerns.
The United Kingdom said that they will use their veto on foreign policy and taxation matters.
Spain expressed its interest to go back to the Nice Treaty provisions on the voting system.
Poland insisted on the need to include a reference to (...)

EU to Donate "a Substantial Contribution" to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

A draft statement was adopted at the Thessaloniki Summit, carefully stating that the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria would receive a "substantial contribution, on a long-term basis" from the EU.
The US has already committed to contribute with USD 1 Billion by 2004.
Presidency Conclusions of the Thessaloniki Summit

June 2003, Constitution presented to Member States at Thessaloniki Summit

EU leaders continued on Friday 20 June the works of the European Council, dedicated on Friday morning to debate the first project for a European Constitution.
Greek premier Minister Costas Simitis received in a public ceremony the draft of the Constitutional Text from the hands of Valery Giscard d’Estaing, president of the Convention.
Costas Simitis said that "whatever the result" they had "lived through an important day in the history of the Union".
The representatnts of the governments (...)

EU Greek Presidency: Interview with the Greek Minister for Health and Welfare, Professor Costas Stefanis

The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) has been very concerned about signs that the Convention on the Future of Europe is proposing a downgrading of health from a "shared responsibility" to a "supporting responsibility" in the future EU treaty. We therefore welcome the fact that the Greek presidency is seeking a broadening of the EU health competence. Could you tell us more about the exact position the Greek presidency is taking on this issue?
Costas Stefanis: Health should be a (...)

Council conclusions on health 2 June 2003

On 2 June the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council of the European Union met in Luxembourg. Health issues discussed included the Pharmaceuticals review, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the draft Directive on Human tissues and cells. Other items on the agenda were an update on the SARS situation, and on the high-level reflection process on cross-border patient mobility. The Council also adopted conclusions on combatting stigma and (...)

Health Council: SARS and FCTC

The Greek presidency organised a general meeting of member state health ministers on the 6 May.
The agenda included two controversial issues: SARS and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The summit on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) brought together top EU officials and Gro Harlem Brundtland, head of the World Health Organisation.
The health and research commissioners, David Byrne and Philippe Busquin, attended on behalf of the EU.
The head of the World Health (...)

European Health Insurance Card

Employment ministers meeting in Brussels on March 6 welcomed the European Commission’s proposal for an EU-wide health insurance card which would come into force by 1 May 2004. The card is set to replace all current paper forms (E111 etc) used for medical treatment during temporary stays abroad.
More information [here-http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/lsa/79310.pdf].

Greek Presidency: Priorities for Environment, Sustainable Development and Health

Environment and Sustainable Development: Greece has committed to further implement the EU strategy for sustainable development while promoting EU Competitiveness and pushing forward important environment legislative proposals. The implementation by candidate countries of the "aquis communautaire" within the time limints, the package on new chemicals legislation, the directive on Environmental Liability, regulation on labelling of GMOs and a directive on emission trading are the main (...)

Agriculture Council discusses sugar and fruit and vegetables

The 22-23 November 2004 meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, discussed key reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Sugar Reform
The Council completed its thorough examination of the Commission’s Communication on the sugar sector reform.
Summary of the Council discussions:
the need for a reform: all delegations agreed that the status quo in the Common Market Organisation (CMO) for sugar is not sustainable;
the international aspects of sugar: a large majority (...)

New EU legislation to control FMD outbreaks

New legislation on EU measures to control outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) was adopted by the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 29 September.
The Directive sets out detailed measures to rapidly control and eradicate the disease and outlines procedures on recovering the status "free of FMD and infection without vaccination", which is of crucial importance for trade.
David Byrne, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, welcomed Council’s adoption of the Directive. (...)

GMOs: guidelines on co-existence

During the Agriculture Council on 29 September, Commissioner Fischler presented the Commission recommendation on guidelines concerning the co-existence of GMOs with conventional and organic farming.
Fischler said that many of the factors that determined the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of co-existence measures were specific to national and regional characteristics and farming practices.
Commission’s press release.
Conclusions of the Agriculture Council.
Commission’s (...)

Council Agrees Rules on GMO Crops in Europe

Member states will be able to regulate their cultivation of genetically modified crops under rules agreed by EU agricultural ministers on 23 July.
The same day, the Commission confirmed this decentralised approach by publishing guidelines - which are not legally binding - setting out "general principles" of how to manage GM crops safely.
Commission press release.

Final Agreement on CAP Reform

After 3 weeks of delays, on 26 June, EU farm ministers adopted a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The key elements of the new, reformed CAP in a nutshell:
a single farm payment for EU farmers, independent from production; limited coupled elements may be maintained to avoid abandonment of production,
this payment will be linked to the respect of environmental, food safety, animal and plant health and animal welfare standards, as well as the requirement to keep all farmland (...)

Council reaches political agreement on new legislation on Foot-and-Mouth Disease

On 12 June, the Agriculture Council reached political agreement on the new foot-and-mouth disease directive. This new piece of legislation aims to improve EU measures to control future outbreaks of FMD.
A proposal was made by the Commission on 13 December 2002, giving emergency vaccination a central role in tackling FMD outbreaks. However, the proposal did not change the policy banning prophylactic vaccination.
FMD does not pose a health danger for humans but it has had in the past grave (...)

No GMO Authorisations before Autumn 2003

On 4 March, the EU’s environment ministers were updated on the Commission’s plan to resume authorisations for new genetically modified (GM) products. This follows intense international pressure particularly from the USA. Nineteen applications are being considered. Member States remained divided over the issue, with some of them not willing to restart the authorisations until the EU Regulations on GMO food and feed, as well as on traceability and labelling will be finally adopted. The (...)

Council Agreement on Hygiene Rules for Food of Animal Origin

Following the Commission’s proposal, the Council has finally adopted a political agreement to set hygiene rules for food of animal origin. The legislation focuses on setting objectives while leaving business flexibility in deciding which safety measures to take. Mr Byrne welcomed the Council’s political agreement as a key aspect of achieving food safety while respecting the diversity of European food. Following the principle of flexibility, exemptions can be made for food produced according (...)

EU Drugs Strategy (2005-2012)

The European Council of 17 December adopted the Drugs strategy 2005-2012, which will be included in the Hague Programme for the development of the EU’s area of freedom, security and justice.
The Strategy builds on the EU Drugs Strategy 2000-2004 and Action Plan on Drugs 2000-2004 as well its 2002 Mid-Term Review
To facilitate practical implementation, there will be two consecutive Action Plans on Drugs, based on the new Strategy, describing specific interventions and actions.
The (...)

Tobacco farmers protest about CAP reform

The Agriculture Council held an exchange of views on the reform concerning the tobacco sector on 17 November 2003.
The discussion follows the Council’s June 2003 decision regarding the 2003 CAP reform proposal and the Commission’s Communication ("Accomplishing a sustainable agricultural model for Europe through the reformed CAP - the tobacco, olive oil, cotton and sugar sectors") of 23 September 2003.
The EU’s tobacco regime has come under heavy criticism for subsidising tobacco growers (...)

Council Recommendation on Drug Dependence

The Agriculture and Fisheries Council has adopted a Recommendation, on the prevention and reduction of health-related harm associated with drug dependence.
The Recomendation calls on Member States to make available a range of different services and facilities, particularly aiming at risk reduction.
Particular emphasis is placed on the prevention of drug-related infections (such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases).
For further details, please consult (...)

Greek Presidency Conclusions on Social Protection

In an informal meeting of Employment and Social Policy Ministers, the Council reaffirmed its goal of strengthening the social dimension of Europe.

Framework Convention on Tobacco Control concluded, 1 March 2003

After four years, the negotiations by the 192 Member States of the WHO have resulted in an agreement for a groundbreaking treaty on tobacco control. The Treaty will be submitted to the World Health Assembly in May 2003 for approval.
This first international health treaty covers a range of issues including tobacco advertising, health warnings, tax issues, illicit trade (smuggling) and smoking cessation programmes. However important questions remain about the EU position on the Convention (...)

Young people provide visions on inequalities

European adolescents are being interviewed about inequality and health in preparation for a conference in Copenhagen in December 2002.
Young people in several European countries are being asked their thoughts about social inequalities in health. The opinions expressed will be represented in a video to be shown at the Danish presidency conference on "Social inequalities in health among children and young people" taking place in Copenhagen, 9-10 December 2002.
Preliminary results of the (...)

EU Health systems common values and principles recognised

In June 2006, Ministers of Health of the 25 Member States adopted common values and principles which are to guide EU health systems.
The conclusions of the Council follows the exclusion of healthcare services from the scope of the Services Directive and foresees the future Community framework on health services, currently developed by the European Commission.
It also takes into account the recent European Court of Justice rulings over the right to treatment, reimbursement, and patients (...)

EU industry ministers call for less red tape and regulation

On 17 May 2004, the EU Competitiveness Council approved a timetable to identify priority areas for lighter European regulation on industry and business "with a view to agreement before the end of 2004".
The Council has also asked the European Commission to develop a method to assess administrative burdens on industry and report to the Ministers in November.
The trade and industry Ministers called for reduced regulation, new policies to stimulate private investment in scientific research, (...)

Council supports Commission’s communication on the G10

On 22 September 2003, the Competitiveness Council adopted its own set of conclusions on reinforcing the competitiveness of the EU-based pharmaceutical industry.
These were based on the Commission’s communication of 1st July 2003 on the G10 Medicines Groups recommendations.
The Health Council is expected to adopt its own conclusions on the Commission’s G10 Communication at an upcoming meeting.
The G10 Group will continue its work until EU enlargement in May 2004.
Provisional (...)

Council adopts common position on Human tissues and cells legislation

Common possition on human tissues and cells adopted on 22 July.
The Agriculture Council adopted, under a common position, the political agreement reached by the Health Council on 2 June 2003 on a proposal for a Directive setting quality and safety standards for the donation, procurement, testing, processing, storage and distribution of human tissues and cells.
In accordance with the codecision procedure, this common position will now be forwarded to the European Parliament for a second (...)

Access to Medicines: EU Clears Plan to Ensure Delivery of Cheap Medicines to Developing Countries

From EU Trade News, 26 May 2003
Today the Council adopted a regulation enabling exporters to deliver essential medicines at strongly reduced (’tiered’) prices to poor countries by making sure the goods are not diverted back to the European Union.
The regulation aims to enable producers to significantly increase supplies of medicines to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis at lower, so-called ’tiered’ prices, while keeping higher prices for the same items in the EU. Exporters are (...)

Competent Authorities Meeting for Medical Devices

The medical devices Competent Authorities met in Athens, under the Greek Presidency, on the 16 and 17 January 2003.
21 countries were represented: European Union, future member States and EFTA countries. Issues discussed include:
Enlargement of the EU,
Commission Communication on medical devices,
Safety concerns presented by medical software,
Transparency and
Patient (...)