Europe

Following the enlargement of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Liaison Group to the sector of foundations and of public health, EPHA has joined the Group representing health interests.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is a consultative body of the European Union. This part of the web site is dedicated to the general presentation of the Committee including information on its role, work and structure. The organisational chart and the information on the (...)

EPHA partner, the ALTER-EU is hiring a Coalition-building and Outreach Coordinator. You can find more information about the requirements and job offer here.
Full-time position in the Brussels office, with regular travel in Europe. Start date : 15 October 2010 (a later start date can be discussed)
Founded in 2005, the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU) is a coalition of over 160 civil society groups, trade unions, academics and public affairs firms concerned (...)

In July 2010 the European Commission has created two new posts at the rank of deputy Director-General in the framework of restructuring the Commission Directorate Generals. DG Enterprise and Industry and DG Economic and Financial affairs will each receive a second deputy Director-General.
DG Economic and Financial Affairs will also take on an additional 37 more staff members to deal with the financial crisis and the eurozone’s sovereign debt difficulties. The new deputy Director-General (...)

The European Ombudsman gave a recommendation that EMA grant access to its adverse reaction reports.
In August 2010, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) accepted the Ombudsman’s recommendation to give access to documents related to a drug used to treat severe forms of acne. In June the European Ombudsman, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, recommended that EMA release adverse reaction reports for an acne drug. EMA had initially denied access, arguing that EU transparency rules did not apply to (...)

EPHA partner EuroHealthnet is looking for a ‘Network Development Coordinator’.
EuroHealthNet is recruiting a Network Development Coordinator to support its Directors to implement its Strategic Development Plan 2010 -14.
Deadline for applications is 12:00 CET Monday 6 September 2010. More information can be found on the EuroHealthNet website and on the attached (...)

On the second anniversary of the European Commission lobby register, many lobby groups based in Brussels still refuse to sign up. The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation in the EU (ALTER-EU) released a press release urging for more transparency.
Brussels, 22 June 2010
Transparency still out of sight on lobby register’s second anniversary
Two years after its introduction the European Commission’s lobby register has failed to bring lobbying into the open, (...)

The ALTER-EU, which EPHA is a member of the Steering Committee, has developed a new statement with 10 priority reform demands for the Commission and Parliament for the coming years.
Ten steps towards ending corporate lobbying privileges and secrecy
1. A high-quality, mandatory lobbying transparency register
The Commission’s weak and voluntary register must be replaced with a mandatory lobby transparency system that enables EU citizens to see who is influencing EU decision making, on (...)

EPHA is encouraging its membership to sign up to the ALTER-EU founding statement and support greater transparency in lobbying and more accountability of EU institutions.
Within the larger framework of EU processes that affect all policy areas, EPHA is encouraging its member organisations to sign up to the ALTER-EU Founding Statement. The ALTER-EU is an alliance of 160 CSOs that advocates for greater transparency in lobbying and more accountability.
ALTER-EU is a coalition of 160 civil (...)

At the end of April 2010, the European Ombudsman released his 2009 Annual Report. The Ombudsman used this as an opportunity to urge the EU administration to become more transparent and citizen-friendly. His Annual Report also found that over one third of complaints received by his office deal with a lack of transparency.
During the presentation of his 2009 Annual Report, European Ombudsman P. Nikiforos Diamandouros called for more transparency within the EU, and for the EU administration (...)

On 9 May, Europe Day and the 60th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, the Chairman of the Reflection Group, Felipe González delivered the report of the Reflection Group “Project Europe 2030” to the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy.
The European Council of 14 December 2007 decided to create a ’reflection group’. Its goal is to identify the key issues and challenges that the EU will face in the future and develop a response. The group started its work in (...)