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EPHA 2012 position on the EU Citizenship Rights contributes to the ongoing European Commission public consultation on EU Citizens’ Rights, “EU Citizens – your rights, your future” by focusing on the implications of citizenship on the public health dimension of people’s daily and professional lives. Time-wise, it is also a good opportunity for EPHA to contribute to the upcoming 2013 European Year of Citizens.
– EPHA 2012 position on the EU Citizenship Rights – based on the European Commission consultation “EU Citizens – your rights, your future” – September 2012.
For more information on 2013 European Year of Citizens please visit HERE.
In its position, EPHA emphasises the many obstacles attached to the notion of EU citizenship, the problematic implementation of the right to free movement and residence within the EU (especially in light of the recent expulsion of Roma in France), healthcare and reimbursement rights, as well as social security rights.
EPHA touches on issues related to citizens’ rights as consumers of goods and services (especially of insufficiently regulated unhealthy products and services like tobacco, alcohol, self-medication or gambling); issues related to victims of crime and gender-based violence; public health implications of cross-border health threats; and the use of medical devices and e-health technology.
We also make reference to the ongoing revision of the Professional Qualifications Directive and the Tobacco Products Directive.
In addition to the above, and given the cross-border and pan-European dimension of many other issues falling in the spectrum of public health, EPHA suggests the following to be considered for further discussion by the European Commission:
– The rights to quality environment (air, water, soil and biodiversity);to access to environmental information; and to protection from cross-border environmental hazards (chemicals, pesticides, endocrine disrupting chemicals (ECDs), nanomaterials, and chemical cocktails).
– The right to protection from unregulated cross-border threats from advertising and marketing to vulnerable consumers (within the framework of the Audiovisual Media Directive).
– The right to protection from material deprivation and falling into poverty and social exclusion as a consequence of unregulated legal status.
– The right to data protection especially with regards to the medical aquis (accumulated legislation, legal acts, and court decisions which constitute the body of European Union law).
– The rights to protection from in work poverty and poor quality working conditions; and to pension rights.
– The right to maternity and paternity leave with adequate financial support.
– The right to non-discrimination especially on the basis of such universal grounds as gender, age, religion or ethnicity, in all areas of public life.
– The right to social security rights when moving and residing in the EU.
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EPHA related articles
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