environment

European Charter for Health Equity - open for signatures through 2012

After being officially launched on 9 December 2010, the European Charter for Health Equity will be open for signatures for a year (end 2011). We invite all relevant stakeholders, organisations and institutions to sign the Charter. We count on your active involvement! We have just over 160 signatories on our list of supporters! The European Charter for Health Equity has been opened for signatures until the end of 2012. To sign the European Charter for Health Equity please follow the (...)

Conflicts of interests: MEPs refuses to discharge the 2010 accounts of three EU Agencies

The European Parliament can exercice its democratic control through discharging the budget of the EU institutions. On the 10 May 2012, MEPS postponed signing off the 2010 accounts of three EU Agencies that matter to health: the European Medicines Agency, the European Food and Safety Agency as well as the European Environmental Agency. For the three agencies, conflicts of interest are in the balance. The European Parliament signed off the accounts of all the EU agencies except the European (...)

European Commission employment package confirms health as growth area

The European Commission has released a comprehensive employment package which includes a policy communication, "Towards a job-rich recovery," and nine Commission Staff Working Documents. The package contains concrete measures to combat mass unemployment and mitigate the effects of the crisis. The green economy, health services and ICT are recognised as high potential employment areas. The policy communication underlines the need for a stronger employment and a social dimension to EU (...)

Reports’ findings - an inefficient use of water resources in Europe

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), millions of people in Europe lack access to drinking water. In addition, and according to the European Environmental Agency (EEA), more than 50 percent of the rural population in 10 European countries have no access to clean water. Such a patchy access to running, safe water has a devastating impact on people’s health status, creating an unfair level of avoidable health inequalities. Clean water is a crucial natural resource, (...)

EPHA’s contributions to chronic diseases consultations

With two major launches, April was an remarkable month in terms of chronic diseases developments - the Commission’s Consultation on the EU Reflection Process on Chronic Dises; and the World Health Organization (WHO) Consultation on a comprehensive global monitoring framework. EPHA responded to both consultations. On 14 March 2012, the European Commission launched a Consultation on the EU Reflection Process on Chronic Disease aimed to gather initial inputs from stakeholders. (...)

European Court of Auditors condemns the legislative proposals for the CAP reform unsatisfactory

The European Court of Auditors, in its latest opinion on the Commissions’ four legislative proposals for the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), although recognising the efforts made to better this key policy, condemns the recommendations as unsatisfactory and ineffective. European Court of Auditors’ full opinion on the CAP legislative proposals The European Court of Auditors (ECA) states that the legislative framework of this policy still remains too complex and (...)

EPHA response to the European Commission public consultation on sustainability agenda

EPHA responded to the European Commission public consultation on “Delivering a more Sustainable Production and Consumption” highlighting that greater synergies between sectors are necessary, especially to address both sustainable development and social inequalities. EPHA response to public consultation from DG Environment on Delivering More Sustainable Production and Consumption. The main rationale behind participating in the consultation was the fact that sustainability is (...)

Unicef’s report on The State of the World’s Children 2012: Children in an Urban World

Given over half the global population, includign more than a billion children live in urban areas, the newest UNICEF’s report on The State of the World’s Children puts a specific emphasis on the impact of urbanisation on children’s rights, health and well-being. While cities have long been associated with better employment, development and economic opportunities, for many they turned out be faced with increased inequalities, poverty, social and environmental deprivation. (...)

’Our food systems are making people sick’ states UN rapporteur

In a strong and tough report - presented to the UN Human Rights Council at its 19th session in March 2012, the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food - Olivier de Schutter - explores the implications of the adequacy element of the right to food for agricultural policies and for the reshaping of the food systems. The report The right to an adequate diet: the agriculture-food-health nexus is to deal with the triple challenge we face today - that of the role of agrifood systems (from (...)

EPHA Statement on the World Water Day 2012: “Access to water and sanitation is a human right, not an ordinary commodity”

22 March 2012 - On the occasion of the World Water Day, EPHA encourages policy makers and citizens alike to join and sign the first European petition on Water and Sanitation asking for the European Union to help achieve universal access to water and sanitation within and outside the European Union. The signatures’ collection should be officially launched at the end of April 2012. The objectives of the campaign, led by EPSU and joined by EPHA is to guarantee water and sanitation (...)