Research

European Parliament releases draft report on General Data Protection Regulation

The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) published its draft report amending the Commission’s proposal for a General Data Protection Regulation on 17 December 2012. In doing so, Rapporteur Jan Albrecht MEP (Green/EFA, Germany), has stuck to his ambitious goal of having an updated European data protection framework by the end of the current Parliamentary term. The report makes 350 amendments to the original Commission text, covering (...)

Council conclusions on Healthy Ageing across the Lifecycle

The December meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) adopted a set of conclusions on Healthy Ageing. It asks for a rethink of health systems towards more prevention. The Council also calls for a new Alcohol Strategy, to replace the current mandate which endsed in 2012. Europe’s population is rapidly ageing, which is challenging, among others, pillars of welfare , pensions, and healthcare systemss. The 2012 European Year for active ageing (...)

Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union launches its vision for greater use of Pharmacists’ Competences

The Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU), an EPHA member, has recently adopted, during its General Assembly, the European Community Pharmacy Blueprint With a view to making better use of the competences of European pharmacists, the PGEU set out its vision on the European Community Pharmacy Blueprint. PGEU tried to compile in one document the European governments’ goals in terms of optimising the use of medicines, achieving better value from pharmacotherapy of patients, (...)

High level conference discusses General Data Protection Regulation

On 4 December 2012 EPHA attended the 3rd annual Data Protection and Privacy Conference in Brussels. The event examined the Commission’s proposals for a revision of the data protection framework in the EU. The Data Protection and Privacy Conference brought together policy-makers, industry and regulators to discuss the principles and implications of the General Data Protection Regulation currently under discussion in the European Parliament and the Council. Vice-President and (...)

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme on Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability

After being launched in February, the first conference of "The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP) on Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability – Priorities and Delivery Mechanisms" took place on 19 November. Over the last years it has become increasingly evident that a new approach to agricultural innovation and research is needed if the European farming is to meet the challenge of producing under new constraints of resource availability and in line with multiple (...)

Council conclusions on Literacy

The Council of the European Union adopted a couple of conclusions on literacy during the 3201st Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council meeting on 26 and 27 November in Brussels. Levels of literacy remain stagnant in most European countries and one in five European citizens has inadequate literacy levels. Taking into account the fact that literacy is a crucial life competence which empowers the individual citizen and that low literacy levels hold back economic growth and reduces (...)

Revised EPHA position on clinical trials

EPHA has revised its position on clinical trials following the European Commission’s release of a legislative proposal for a regulation over the summer. While the key elements remain the same, the updated version emphasises the need for clinical trials to go ahead so that different population groups can benefit from life-saving treatments, while underlining that patient safety must remain at the centre of the process, and not compromised by less rigid assessment procedures. The (...)

European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing’s conference - Ageing can be an opportunity

The long-awaited First Conference of Partners of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) took place on 6 November in Brussels. One year after the delivery of the Strategic Implementation Plan, the six Action Groups presented their action plans. The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders, already part of an Action Group, to meet and collaborate with different group members, and for more recent stakeholders to have the opportunity to learn about (...)

“Medicine shortages is a global public health problem,” by the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union

The number of reports of medicine shortages in the EU is increasing. Shortages are occurring across the supply chain and all classes of medicines are affected, from complex chemotherapy agents and anaesthetics to diabetes, hypertension, and asthma medication. This article is a contribution by the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) There are a number of reasons why some medicines are sometimes unavailable. The medicines supply chain is highly complex and its efficiency (...)

EPHA Briefing: Criteria for Independent Research

EPHA has produced a briefing on financial conflicts of interest and research in health in light of growing evidence from the tobacco, pharmaceutical and medical fields that the funding source for research may compromise results in favour of commercial interests . In this briefing, EPHA explores if there is a risk that these biases could be extended to nutrition and alcohol science. The purpose of the briefing is to explore academic literature, tools to protect research from conflicts of (...)