OLD Europe

The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of freezing part of the budget for the European Commission’s expert groups until new rules are introduced to provide safeguards against their capture by special interests and to improve transparency. ALTER-EU has welcomed this initiative by the Parliament to put pressure on the European Commission to prevent the corporate capture of EU policy preparation. The European Parliament in its resolution has asked the European (...)

The European Commission recently published a new Communication entitled ’Partnering in research and innovation’, which aims to highlights the importance of partnering in European Research and Innovation. The Commission intends to encourage public and private actors to collaborate at European level to apply research and innovation solutions to major challenges facing society has been issued by the European Commission. The Commission Communication Partnering in research and (...)

EPHA attended the first High-level conference on the Multi-annual Financial Framework. This was the first time that national Parlements were invited to come to Brussels to discuss the EU budget. However the discussion focused on competitiveness and the economic crisis. There was no discussion about the social impact of the crisis, or sustainable development. This High Level Conference is of particular importance as it provides an opportunity to discuss the future EU budget for (...)

The European Commission adopted - for the first time - a Communication to further improve the recognition and promotion of volunteering in the EU. Within the framework of the European Year of Volunteering 2011, the Commission’s Communication on EU Policies and Volunteering outlines a range of measures that will help foster voluntary activities in the EU. The communication highlighted that volunteering activities link several European Union policy areas – such as lifelong (...)

Representatives from the 53 Member States in the WHO European Region meet in Baku, Azerbaijan on the 12-15 September , for their 61st session to discuss the reform of the WHO, the new WHO EURO policy for health, health governance, and several action plans particularly on noncommunicable diseases and alcohol. The Regional Committee sessions represents the annual meetings during which representatives from the 53 Member States in the WHO European Region take decisions for the WHO EURO and (...)

Gathered in Baku, Azerbaidjan, the 52 Member States of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe discuss their strategic policy framework for health – the ‘Health 2020 strategy’. The strategy is meant to be adopted in September 2012, which leaves a year to further develop it in cooperation with Member States and civil society organisations. Its purpose is to strengthen health systems, engage the public and a range of health actors, and develop coherent and evidence-based (...)

The European Commission proposes 2013 as the European Year of Citizens. The objectives of the European Year will be to inform and raise awareness about European citizens’ rights, but also to engage into deeper debates to explore the societal dimension of European citizenship as a broad concept. In August, the Commission officially proposed that 2013 becomes the European Year of Citizens. More specifically, the aim of the Year is to: raise citizens’ awareness of their right (...)

The Social Platform, of which EPHA is a member, is looking for a Communications Officer to join their team in the Brussels-based Secretariat. Social Platform is the largest European civil society alliance fighting for social justice and participatory democracy. A suitably qualified Communications Officer is being sought by the Platform. Details of the position can be found on the Social Platform website and the details and application form are also available here. The deadline for the (...)

EPHA submitted a consultation response to the EC Green Paper on Research and Innovation Funding, arguing for more money to be spent on public health research on the determinates of health and for greater involvement of civil society organisations in the next research programme. The European Public Health Alliance, bringing together public health organisations representing health professionals, patients groups, health promotion and disease specific NGOs, academic groupings and other health (...)

Plans for the joint “Transparency Register” for are moving forward as the European Parliament adopts two reports in its May Plenary. The vote is a first step to ensuring greater transparency among lobbyists in the EU. The European Parliament adopts a report on the “Transparency Register.”at a plenary session of the EU assembly in Strasbourg, facilitating the launch of the registry in June. MEPs called on the Council of Ministers to join this "transparency (...)