Eurobrief 1
January 2008
CONTENTS
Priorities of the Slovenian EU Presidency
Climate change and health
European Commission launches inquiry into pharmaceutical sector
Public Health funding programme 2008-2013
Health Professionals Crossing Borders
New fact sheet on harmful drinking
Developing an e-Health market in Europe
Improving care for people with disabilities
Priorities of the Slovenian EU Presidency
Slovenia took over the rotating EU Presidency this month and became the first new EU member state to hold the office. The Slovenes will continue to pursue the overarching 18 month priorities first outlined by the German Presidency last year. These are based on:
- The promotion of health by encouraging a healthy lifestyle, particularly healthy nutrition and physical activity
- Prevention and control of communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and flu pandemics
- Innovations in healthcare and accessibility of healthcare services
Climate change and health
The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), a European NGO that advocates greater environmental protection as a way to improve human health, has published a review of the latest scientific evidence on the effect of climate change on health. The booklet also provides advice to health professionals and can be viewed at the website below:
http://www.env-health.org/IMG/pdf/Final_climate_change_brochure.pdf
European Commission launches inquiry into pharmaceutical sector
The European Commission this month mounted dawn raids on pharmaceutical companies across Europe as part of an investigation into possible anti-competitive behaviour that may be preventing new drugs and cheaper generic alternatives from entering the market. It is the first time that such an inquiry has been launched with surprise dawn raids and could lead to companies being fined up to 10% of their turnover or taken to court.
Public Health funding programme 2008-2013
The new EU Public Health programme came into force this month. With a budget of €321.5 million, the programme will be implemented by means of annual work plans which set out priority areas and the funding criteria. The work plan for 2008 is expected to be published at the end of February 2008. The objectives of the programme are:
- To improve citizen’s health security
- To promote health, including the reduction of health inequalities
- To promote health information and knowledge
Health Professionals Crossing Borders
The final version of the Portugal Agreement has been published by the Health Professionals Crossing Borders initiative. The agreement is a collaborative voluntary work programme for professional healthcare regulators from within Europe and consists of three key elements:
- Identifying Shared Principles of Regulation
- Transparent and Accessible Healthcare Regulation
- Competence Assurance of European Healthcare Professionals
www.hpcb.eu
New fact sheet on harmful drinking
The European Commission has published a fact sheet on harmful drinking. Facts can be found about the risks of excessive alcohol consumption, the costs of alcohol abuse and alcohol drinking habits of young Europeans. It also summarises the need for action at EU level and outlines actions that have already been taken.
http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/alcohol/documents/alcohol_factsheet_harmful_en.pdf
Developing an e-Health market in Europe
The European Commission has called for strengthened national cooperation on market opportunities for e-Health in order to increase economic benefits and to improve quality of health services. In a report released at the end of last month, the Commission e-Health task force sketches out a number of policy recommendations for areas of intervention up to 2010. The report can be read at the website below:
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/health/docs/lmi-report-final-2007dec.pdf
Improving care for people with disabilities
A new study released by the European Commission has concluded that institutional care for disabled people in Europe continues to fall short of acceptable standards in many cases. The study, entitled ‘Deinstitutionalisation and Community Living – Outcomes and Costs’ was carried out by the University of Kent and the London School of Economics. The study found that community-based services can deliver better outcomes in terms of quality of life and ensure that disabled people can live as full citizens. It also stated that services in the community are not more expensive than institutional care once the needs of residents and quality of care are taken into account in calculating the costs. The text of the study can be read at the website below:
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/index/7002_en.html