Wealth and Equity

On 1 May 2010, a new legislative package, known as “modernised coordination”, came into force to regulate social security schemes in EU member states.
The regulation, which was adopted by the European Parliament and Council of Ministers in September 2009, is designed to provide more and better information, simpler and more efficient procedures, and to broaden the scope of existing social security schemes. The provisions cover anyone who moves to another EU country to settle (...)

On 23 March 2010, the third annual EU Homeopathy Day was held at the European Parliament to inform European decision-makers and stakeholders about "Complementary and Alternative Medicine" (CAM). This was followed by the opening of World Homeopathy Awareness Week on 10 April, which aims to promote homeopathic awareness around the world.
The EU Homeopathy Day is an annual event and joint initiative of the European associations of patients, doctors, practitioners, pharmacists and industry in (...)

In light of the upcoming European Summit on Roma Inclusion, EPHA prepared a briefing paper and policy recommendations aimed at stimulating action to improve Roma health. EPHA will attend the Summit in the framework on its work on health inequalities in Europe.
April 2009
Health issues facing Europe’s Roma community
It is well-recognised that differences in public health outcomes at a population level are closely linked to degrees of social disadvantage among different communities. Across (...)

A broad coalition of civil society organisations has come together to call for a financial transaction tax to be levied so as to fund global public goods including expenditure on social services in Europe and abroad.
The Robin Hood Tax campaign has already gained a high profile in the UK and has given momentum to similar campaigns demanding financial transaction taxes (FTT) in other European countries.
On March 25th, merry men and women, accompanied by angry bankers and confused Heads of (...)

In 2009, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas identified "chemical cocktails" as one of the main future challenges on the global chemicals agenda. In December 2009, EU environment ministers met and put forward a request to the Commission to assess the need for EU legislative action to protect human and animal health from so-called ’chemical cocktails’.
DG Environment (EC) commissioned a report on "chemical cocktails," this report details the findings of a project on mixture toxicology (...)

Children may be exposed to at least four potentially cancer causing pesticides that are being used in UK schools, according to the findings of a new survey released by the HEAL and PAN.
Children may be exposed to at least four potentially cancer causing pesticides that are being used in UK schools, according to the findings of a new survey released on 14 January 2010 by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) and Pesticides Action Network (PAN).
The snapshot of English, Welsh and (...)

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has come under critique lately at national and European levels as the dominant yardstick to measure ‘’standards of living’’. Scientists and policy makers increasingly call for alternative methods to determine not just economic output but societies’ overall well-being, increasingly referred to as ‘’progress’’.
Comprehending and measuring social progress has become an important international theme which engages (...)

The EU Parliament created a special committee to assess what caused the financial crisis and what effect it had on Member States. The committee has a 12 month mandate and will provide recommendations in a mid-year and end-year report. Several members of the ECON committee will also be involved in the new committee.
During the October plenary meeting, the European Parliament decided to create a special committee on the financial and economic crisis (CRIS). The committee will have a 12-month (...)

Following the first policy statements proposed during August by the European Commission on public health measures for influenza H1N1 2009, the Commission adopted on 15 September a strategy paper supporting Member States in their efforts to respond efficiently to the pandemic. The document identifies key strategic strands to strengthen coordination and emphasises support to the Member States that are in a less favourable situation.
*Update* EU health ministers gather for an extraordinary (...)

On the 25th of May, 2009 the European Council adopted plans for a European Union work permit - a directive aimed at attracting and facilitating conditions of entry and residence in the European Union (EU) for third-country, highly-skilled workers. Known as the Blue Card - as the permit’s ideological principles are similar to the United States’ (US) ’Green Card’ and after the EU blue flag - it aims to to give more socio-economic advantages to highly-qualified foreign workers wanting to (...)