Update 68

Update 68: "Celebrating 10 years of public health in Europe" - now available online

EPHA exploded onto the Brussels scene in 1993, just as the European Union first acquired a health competence - Art 129 of the Maastricht Treaty (subsequently Art 152 of the Amsterdam Treaty). This issue of the European Public Health Update celebrates EPHA’s 10th anniversary. We look back over the past ten years to highlight the successes, learn lessons and evaluate how the political context has changed.
Editorial: Celebrating 10 years of public health in Europe
In this issue:
Milestones (...)

The origins of EPHA

Dr Michael Joffe was chairman of EPHA when it was founded in 1993. Here, he explains why growing numbers of public health experts began to think it was important to work at European level, and describes some of the achievements of the first few years.
During the 1980s, the European Community, as it was then called*, became more active in legislating for its Member States. In particular, environmental protection seemed to be largely driven from Brussels, especially from the perspective of (...)

What has been achieved?

The following are just some of EPHA’s achievements during the past ten years.
Management of the European Parliamentary discussion group
EPHA has provided the secretariat for the Health Intergroup of the European Parliament since June 1993. Intergroups are informal discussion groups, established by MEPs, which provide a forum for cross-party debate of important issues. Over the decade, the meetings have focused on many issues, including public health policy and programmes, the Common (...)

Holding up the health banner at the European Union

The European Heart Network joined EPHA eight years ago when the two organisations were sharing the same Brussels’ office at 1 Place du Luxembourg. Susanne Logstrup, EHN’s Director says her main reason for being part of EPHA is the same now as it was then.
The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) and the European Heart Network (EHN) are about the same age. EHN celebrated its 10 years in 2002 and in many ways the two entities can be said to have grown up together. They were "childhood" (...)

Nursing ambitions in Europe: why EPHA works for us!

Susan Williams, European Officer for the Royal College of Nursing in the UK, says EPHA helps a national organisation like her own to find its way more easily through the "Euro Village". The UK has traditionally kept itself on the fringes of European activity - like a reluctant bride not wanting to commit herself for good.
Strange perhaps that this attitude is not reflected in the voluntary and public sector. You only have to see the number of offices that UK organisations have opened in (...)

Ten years on: where next?

EPHA President Andrew Hayes provides an assessment of the junction at which EPHA currently finds itself.
This issue of Update celebrates EPHA’s tenth anniversary: ten years of innovation, development and consolidation. Change is the one constant you can rely on in this world, and EPHA has seen plenty of change: ten years of non-stop change. So it is no surprise perhaps, that on our tenth birthday we can look back with $ÙÃ÷sfaction - so much has been achieved - but also forward with some (...)

Who are our Public Health Heroes?

EPHA’s mission during the past ten years has been to promote and protect the health of all people living in Europe, and to advocate greater participation of citizens in health-related policy making at the European level. The EPHA staff aim to be public health campaigners though sometimes it is really hard to raise awareness on the issues.
It is difficult for several different reasons. First, the concept of public health is broader than the concept of personal well-being: it includes (...)

Editorial: Celebrating 10 years of public health in Europe

EPHA exploded onto the Brussels scene in 1993, just as the European Union first acquired a health competence - Art 129 of the Maastricht Treaty (subsequently Art 152 of the Amsterdam Treaty). This issue of the European Public Health Update celebrates EPHA’s 10th anniversary. We look back over the past ten years to highlight the successes, learn lessons and evaluate how the political context has changed.
Looking forward, there has never been a more exciting time to work on health issues in (...)

Milestones in European public health

Protection of public health
1992: Maastricht Treaty ratified Article 129 gave the European Community its first responsibilities in health protection.
For the first time, health was recognised as being within the scope of the European Community activity, though certain limits were set as to the form the action could take. The task of the Community, acting together with Member States, was to contribute to "a high level of human health protection", particularly through preventative (...)

A decade of achievement: Interview with David Byrne, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection

Interview with David Byrne, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection
Do you believe that the existing Treaty commitment, to ensure "a high level of human health protection" has been fully exploited? Could more have been done? Could you give positive and negative examples?
Byrne: The Treaty of Amsterdam, with its commitment that the EU should ensure a high level of health protection, entered into force on 1 May 1999 - just a few months before I started my mandate as (...)

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 (...)