The Commission

Against the release of the Multi annual financial Framework and before the Health for Growth programme proposal is finalised by the European Commission, EPHA publishes its position on the priorities of the future Health programmes of the European Union, for 2014-2020. In order to contribute to the debate, EPHA developed its suggestions for the priorities of the programme. EPHA position on the Health for Growth programme EPHA considers that health equity should be the overarching (...)

On 20 July 2011 the European Commission (EC) adopted a European Agenda for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals, a contribution to the debate on how to understand and better support integration in European countries. The Agenda puts the emphasis on migrants’ full participation in all aspects of collective life and highlights the importance of close cooperation between the national governments, responsible for defining their integration policies, and local or regional (...)

The European Commission has released the Multi-Annual Financial Framework for 2014-2020, which outlines the financial priorities of the EU and presented the financial mechanisms that will be used to finance the EU activities duignt seven years. The draft Communication on the Multi Annual Financial Framework was released by the European Commission on 29 June 2011, after intense debates within the European Commission The Commission released the proposal together with ’policy (...)

The European Commission designated the year 2012 as the ‘European Year for Active Ageing’. The starting point of this initiative was introduced during the European Solidarity day: Towards the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations (2012) conference, which took place on the 29th of April in Brussels. The proposal is currently being discussed by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. On this occasion, a variety of stakeholders (...)

The European Commission Directorate in charge of health and consumers has been reorganised. The main change is the addition of a new Health System and Products Directorate. The Commission has published its neworganigram for DG SANCO, which will come into effect in the next few months. The main change to the current structure is the creation of a new directorate in DG SANCO to deal with health systems and products. The Directorate will be headed by Andrzej Jan Rys, a Polish national, and (...)

Following the public consultation on the Single Market, the European Commission had identified 12 areas that it will release legislative proposals during the 2011-2012 period. Health concerns and health priorities are absent from the Act, while the single market impacts heavily on health systems. In April the European Commission released the “Single Market Act” with outlines 12 legislative instruments. Each instrument is accompanied by a flagship initiative on which the (...)

The European Commission announced on 20 April a change in ethical rules for commissioners while they are in office and after they leave the Commission. The Code of Conduct sets rules for Commissioners, regarding conflict of interests, their political activities whil they are in office, positions they could get after they leave the European Commission... Changes include: Clearer rules on political activities, including Commissioners’ participation in electoral campaigns; Stronger (...)

The European Commission has launched a prize for journalists in the field of Health journalism. The theme of the prize this year is ’Europe for Patients’. Deadline: 24 July 2011 Journalists are invited to submit articles which cover the theme of health, with a focus on the current EU campaign on ’Europe for Patients’. The EU Health Prize for journalists 2011 will cover articles from any one of the following topics: cross-border healthcare, rare diseases, health (...)

The 2011 Commission Work Programme has been released. The annual work programme indicates what proposals the Commission will initiate in a year and explains how the Political Guidelines from the President of the EC will be implemented for that year. The Work Programme has been divided to meet the Europe 2020 objectives of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, with the addition of a Citizen`s programme. The 2011 Work Programme will focus on the economic crisis, specifically economic (...)

The Commission adopted the "EU Citizenship Report 2010: Dismantling the obstacles to EU citizens’ rights" . The report outlines concrete measures the Commission is taking to ensure that European citizens are able to exercise their rights to the full. The report is a follow up to the ’EU Citizens’ Rights – The way forward’ consultation, launched in June 2010. The consultation aimed to indentify how the rights stemming from Union Citizenship could be (...)