Health Inequalities

MEPs’ rejection of cuts for EU’s Fund for Most Deprived should be followed by more healthy and nutritious food provision

Following the vote by the European Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee on Monday (21 May 2013) rejecting the Commission’s proposal for one billion cut to the Fund for the 2014-2020 European Aid to the Most Deprived, EPHA applauds the Committee’s move whilst asking to re-consider its take on health and nutritional value of the food aid provision to the EU’s poor. The new 2014-2020 programme is intended to replace the Food Distribution Programme designed to (...)

[2013 Patients’ Rights Day] Putting patients in the driver’s seat

On the occasion of 2013 Patients’ Rights Day (May 15) EPHA would like to stress that, although much progress has been made, there is still a lot of scope for health systems to benefit from an obvious, yet commonly underutilized and underestimated resource: patients themselves. As patients and consumers of health services - and we all fall into this category throughout our lives - we build up an enormous amount of knowledge over the years that takes various forms. Some individuals, (...)

[Roundtable] Commissioner Reding and Andor on Roma rights

The European Commission intends to maintain a regular dialogue and close co-operation with all stakeholders active in the field of Roma inclusion. In line with this approach, Commissioners Viviane Reding (justice, fundamental rights and citizenship) and László Andor (Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) co-organised a roundtable meeting with EU civil society representatives, in order to have a thorough exchange of views on progress (or the lack of it) made on Roma integration and to (...)

[EPHA’s 20th anniversary series] There is no time like the present

While generally speaking, political change in Brussels tends to be tremendously slow, twenty years are a sufficiently long period of time to have witnessed some crucial changes in the continent’s public health sphere. At the time of EPHA’s inception in 1993, Article 129 of the Maastricht Treaty had just equipped the European Commission with a limited but important legal coordinating role in the field of public health with a focus on prevention, health promotion and protection. (...)

[Joint media reaction] Minimum Alcohol Price: Scottish High Court on the side of public health

Brussels, 3 May – Today, the Scottish Government has won a case on Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) for alcohol (1) in the Scottish High Court - the first legally-binding minimum price on alcohol within the EU. Now the alcohol industry will have 21 days to decide whether it has grounds for appeal. MUP sets a floor price below which alcohol cannot be legally sold and unlike taxation, MUP prices alcoholic beverages based on their strength. Alcohol misuse hits the poor badly, most of whom (...)

European Year of Citizens: Are Roma people European citizens like any others?

The ’’citizenship gap’’ between Roma and non-Roma was taken up by a conference organised by the European Roma Information Office (ERIO) at the European Economic and Social Committee on 22 April 2013. The International Romani Day 8 April is a good day to remember what happened recently to members of the Roma community in Europe. In France alone, about 10,000 Roma were sent back to Romania and Bulgaria in 2009. The following year, at least another 8,300 Roma were (...)

[Save the date] EPHA 4th Annual Conference 4-5 September 2013, Brussels

On 4 and 5 September 2013 the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) will celebrate 20 years of helping shape Europe’s public health. EPHA is using this milestone as an opportunity to look at how we can foster an EU that is coherent in its decisions, in terms of fostering the health and well-being of people living in Europe. Brave New World: Inclusive Growth and Well-Being or Vested Interests and Lost Generations? SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Lithuanian (...)

[European Observatory] Venice Summer School 2013

The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the Veneto Region of Italy are organising a Summer School with the title “Time for Change: Innovative Ways of Improving Population Health†The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the Veneto Region of Italy are organising a Summer School with the title “Time for Change: Innovative Ways of Improving Population Health” European countries increasingly recognize the importance of (...)

Public consultation on Declaration of Helsinki on medical research involving human subjects

A two-month public consultation (15 April to 15 June 2013) on the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki on medical research involving human subjects has been launched by the World Medical Association. A revised version of the Declaration is available on the WMA website. This consultation is of particular interest in the context of the ongoing revision of the Clinical Trials legislation. Please click here for detailed information on the consultation process The (...)

Clinical trials: Exploring the limits of transparency

Glenis Willmott MEP (S&D, UK) took the initiative to bring together experts to discuss the extent to which more transparency could be workable in non-commercial clinical trials. The debate, which took place in the European Parliament on 10 April, served to present the key arguments for and against increased transparency in the context of administrative and data reporting requirements for academic researchers and patient safety. EPHA’s Position on Clinical Trials urges political (...)