Fundamental Rights

[EPT] Roma NRIS – Policy Framework – National Roma Integration Strategies (16 May 2013)

National Roma Integration Strategies (NRIS) Many of the estimated 10-12 million Roma in Europe face prejudice, intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion in their daily lives. They are marginalised and live in very poor socio-economic conditions. This EU Framework seeks to make a tangible difference to Roma people’s lives. It is the EU’s response to the current situation and does not replace Member States’ primary responsibility in this regard. With this EU (...)

[eHealth week] eHealth innovation must be driven by full inclusion

13 May, Brussels -The motto of the 2013 eHealth week (13-15 May), which kicks off today, is ‘Delivering Innovative Healthcare and Well-being’. According to the European Commission, eHealth Week aims to encourage continuous investment in health IT in an effort to improve patient care and get a handle on rising medical costs. An integral part of this year’s eHealth Week is the High Level eHealth Conference, organised by the Irish Presidency and the European Commission. (...)

[Water is a Human Right campaign] First ever European Citizens Initiative to make it !

Brussels, 7 May - The first ever European Citizens Initiative (ECI) – Water is a Human Right! – has collected over 1.5 million signatures across Europe. Eight countries have just passed the minimum number of signatures required. The European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Water is a Human Right!’ is a pan-European initiative calling for the European Union (EU) to guarantee clean drinking water and quality sanitation for everyone living in Europe. EPHA, one of the (...)

[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. (...)

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 (...)

UNICEF Innocenti Report Card: Child Well-being in Rich Countries.

The Report card considers five dimensions of children’s lives: material well-being, health and safety, education, behaviours and risks, and housing and environment. The report is a good example of indicators to be taken into account when developing and monitoring policies that have direct and indirect effect on child well-being, including cross-sectorally. The paper key findings can be summarised as follows: The Netherlands is the leader and the only country ranked among the top (...)

[Public Statement] International Romani Day - the curse of being Roma in Europe and getting proper healthcare

It is high time for the EU and national leaders to fix all what is wrong with the social factors that trap the Roma population in a vicious cycle of ill-health. Policy-makers can do a better job to make sure that Roma people across Europe do not have to endure an additional series of obstacles to become healthy and productive members of the societies in which they live. Six million Roma live in the EU (1), in what represents Europe’s largest ethnic group. The Roma are one of the most (...)

Preparation for the 6th Fundamental Rights Platform Meeting (24-26 April 2013, Vienna)

FRA Director, Morten Kjaerum, met civil society representatives to discuss how FRA and civil society can cooperate to protect fundamental rights in the EU. This meeting was in preparation for the upcoming 6th Fundamental Rights Platform Meeting, which will take place in Vienna (24-26 April) where EPHA will be represented. About the Fundamental Rights Agency The new Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) was launched in March 2007 by Council Regulation (EC) No 168/2007. The European Fundamental (...)

European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee adopts opinion on General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) adopted on 19 March its opinion on the General Data Protection Regulation. This will now be forwarded to the responsible Civil Liberties (LIBE) Committee for consideration alongside the submitted amendments. The opinion broadly supports the Commission text, supporting the use of a regulation rather than a directive, a broad definition of personal data, and the requirement for explicit consent in order for processing to be (...)