The Parliament

PRESS RELEASE Date: 02 02 2012 Contact person: Alison Abrahams +32 2 233 38 72 MEPs unite against misleading nutrition claims on “x% less fat” ***For Immediate Release*** On 2 February 2012, the European Parliament voted by an overwhelming majority (393 for, 161 against with 21 abstentions) to ban the nutrition claim “now contains x% less”. This is a positive step for public health and a blow for the food industry who had been lobbying hard to allow the (...)

EPHA sent comments to the European Parliament draft own initiative report on the 7th Environment Action Programme to ensure that the European Parliament position will take into account fostering a health-promotion physical environment as part of the future Environment Action Programme of the EU. Fostering a health-promotion physical environment as one of the core determinants of health and well-being at population level, remains one of the key policy and advocacy aims of EPHA. At the (...)

In the January Plenary, the European parliament elected its new President and Vice Presidents, and afterwards the Committees elected new Chairs and Vice-Chairs, below are the results of the elections. At the Plenary in Strasbourg from 15-19 January, Martin Schulz, a German Social Democrat, was elected the new President of the European Parliament from 2012-2014. Receiving 387 votes, Mr Schulz obtained the absolute majority of votes needed. Mr Schulz was previously the head of the S&D (...)

Wednesday, 21 March 2012, 12:00-14:00 hrs Hosted by Mrs Glenis Willmott MEP (S&D, UK) European Parliament, Brussels, Room A3H1 The lunch event will: • raise awareness of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and its alarming impact on populations and health systems, with key data, prevalence figures and examples of good practice, • be a chance to debate the future action needed at EU level to reduce the burden of the disease • be the official launch of the (...)

On 1 December, the European Parliament approved its first-ever Code of Conduct for MEPs. This code will enter into force in January 2012 and aims to make the MEPs’ mandate as transparent as possible. The Code of Conduct was developed by a Working Group commissioned by the Conference of Presidents, then later sent to the Constitutional Affairs Committee which added some adjustments and clarifications where necessary. Some measures include that MEPs have the duty to declare any (...)

Health Action International, an EPHA member and the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue, an EPHA partner are co-organising an event on the future Horizons 2020 research programme. MEP Luigi Berlinguer (S&D IT) & MEP Philippe Lamberts (Greens/EFA BE) are hosting: “Horizon 2020: Investing in the common good” Treating knowledge as a public good in EU research and innovation Horizon (...)

Civil Society Contact Group’s (CSCG) sent an open letter to Mr Buzek, the President of the European Parliament (EP), expressing concerns about access to the EP for civil society organisations. New ad hoc security measures have been put in place for all visitors to the European Parliament after a robbery of a post office located in the Parliament in February. This resulted in the permanent annual access badges to be suspended Later on in March, access was limited to temporary one-day (...)

EPHA Press Release on the European Parliament Resolution on the UN high-level meeting on the prevention and control of NCDs. ***For Immediate Release*** 15 September 2011, Brussels EPHA welcomes this initiative from the European Parliament calling for action to be taken to combat Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The resolution comes at a vital moment; on 19 and 20 September representatives of all UN member countries will join together in New York for a High Level Meeting on Non (...)

On the 14th September 2011, the European Parliament adopted a Resolution calling for an EU homelessness strategy. FEANTSA - European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless - an EPHA member - welcomed the resolution and congratulated the European Parliament on its commitment to ending homelessness. The resolution calls on the EU to increase its coordination and support Member States in aligning their policies in order to fight against homelessness all across the EU. (...)

Following the end of the mandate of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Executive Director Mr Thomas Lönngren on 31 December 2010, the agency is in the process of appointing a new Executive Director. The EMA’s Management Board has nominated Mr Guido Rasi on 8 June 2011 as the new Executive Director-designate. Mr Rasi previously served as Director-General of the Italian Medicines Agency and a Member of the European Medicines Agency’s Management Board since 2008. On Wedensday 13 (...)