About: EU health
EHPM 2024-2029 Manifesto: Together for healthy citizens and a prosperous economy in the EU
Ahead of the European Elections in June 2024, EHPM calls on the EU to recognise food supplements as important allies for European citizens’ health, and to promote policies that empower consumers, and enable the continued growth of the European food supplement sector in the next mandate.
How the Parliament’s AIDA Report Misdiagnoses the Risks and Benefits of Health AI
Est. 7minIn November 2021, the European Parliament’s Special Committee on AI in a Digital Age (AIDA Committee) put forward its draft report on artificial intelligence (AI) in a digital age. The report advocates for a very permissive approach to regulation of AI to stimulate innovation and foster the competitiveness of the EU. With this, however, it understates the possible risks specific to development and use of AI in the context of health and lacks actual solutions to translate potential into action. We identified five shortcomings and hereby appeal to the regulator to address them.
Europe must play a key role in the revival of global health multilateralism for fairer societies
Est. 5minAs Europe aims to build forward stronger and better, it is high time to revive talks on multilateralism. In its efforts to show leadership, Europe should create partnerships and respect the Global South perspective on pandemic preparedness and response.
G7 & EU Must Put Lives before Profits and ‘Vaccinate Our World’ Now!
Est. 5minAfter more than a year blanketed by the pandemic—communities, economies, and health systems in the European Union and beyond continue to be devastated. It is all too clear that the world is in desperate need of an immediate and novel …
Merkel open to EU treaty change to boost health powers
Est. 2minGermany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday (21 April) that the European Union needs more power to coordinate the bloc's response to health crises like the coronavirus pandemic, and did not rule out a treaty change to secure them.
Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety at the Global Plasma Summit
Remarks on establishing a reliable supply of therapies, the urgent need to increase plasma collection across the EU, and the impact of the COVID-19 on the plasma donation system (as of October 2020), presented at the Global Plasma Summit.
Unlocking data and embracing digital technologies to transform citizens’ health and wellbeing
Est. 6minIf the coronavirus pandemic and Europe-wide lockdowns taught us one thing, it is just how reliant we all are on digital technologies – including for our own health, and that data was in the right place at the right time to …
Broken bones, shattered lives: call for action as EU faces rise in osteoporosis
Est. 4minDespite the identification of clear, actionable steps in the prevention of fragility fractures and osteoporosis, EU policy action on the matter remains lacking as the situation is set to worsen. But a new policy toolkit aims to help change this.
Call for Action: Time to strengthen the EU’s public health policy powers
Est. 7minEurope is going through an unprecedented challenge caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a health crisis, an economic crisis, and, potentially, a social crisis. It presents an existential challenge to the European project: are we doing enough to protect the health of our citizens? write Klaus Hänsch, Violeta Bulc and Vytenis Andriukaitis.
Spain urges parents to obey rules and avoid risking children’s health
Est. 5minSpanish authorities have warned parents to act responsibly when taking their children out for a walk in order to ensure that the first major easing of the coronavirus lockdown does not become a public health risk.
EU ‘well prepared’ to deal with coronavirus, says health expert
Est. 4minFollowing the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China, which has now infected more than 600 people and claimed the lives of 18, health authorities around the world are now mobilising to try to contain the spread of the disease.
Cancer fight ‘hype’ and labelling war loom amid risk of over-ambition
Est. 6minFrom the commitment to fighting (and possibly defeating) cancer to the food labelling minefield, the bar will be set pretty high when it comes to health and food safety in 2020. Will the EU be able to live up all its over-ambitious promises?
Whole grain diet can slash risk of cardiovascular disease, says researchers
Est. 5minIncreasing the daily intake of whole grains to 30-40g reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by up to 20%, EURACTIV.com heard at a recent event to mark the first International Whole Grain Day.
EU health sector ‘up to a decade’ behind others for digitalisation, Commission says
Est. 4minThe EU health sector is in the middle of a defining moment but the sector is “up to a decade” behind other sectors in terms of digitalisation, Deputy Director-General for Health and Food Safety Martin Seychell told EURACTIV.com.
RAPEX, the safety guarantee for European products
Est. 6minThe rapid alert system removed more than 2,000 dangerous products from the European market in 2018. However, much remains to be done about security, notably with regards to China. EURACTIV France reports.
EU Commission wants to support health systems better through structural funds
Est. 3minMany regions of Europe for poor medical care because there is a lack of doctors, money or infrastrcture. The Commission is now considering how the structural funds can help in a targeted way. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Next Commission needs a vice-president for health, campaigners say
Est. 3minA new office should be set up in the next European Commission to implement cross-sectoral policies in health policymaking, a multi-stakeholder platform has said.
Debating mandatory or voluntary vaccination is ‘absolutely useless’, says EU health chief
Est. 5minMedical experts, not politicians, should decide whether vaccination should be mandatory or not, EU health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis told reporters on Thursday (21 November), adding that the only relevant objective is to reach maximum coverage.
Infected ticks and Lyme disease expand because of climate change
Est. 4minWhile Europe is undergoing an unusual summer weather pattern, infected ticks and the related Lyme disease are spreading through the continent, reflecting the growing impact of climate change on health.
‘Vital’ UK remains part of EU clinical trials, say MPs
Est. 3minContinued participation in EU-wide clinical trials and the Horizon 2020 research programme is ‘vital’ to the UK’s life sciences sector, according to a new cross-party report by UK MPs.
Parliament doesn’t want to turn back time anymore
Est. 3minMEPs voted for the abolishment of Daylight Saving Time on February 8, especially since this would benefit human health.
Big data revolution and EU healthcare
Est. 1minThe ongoing big data revolution could have a significant impact on health policies in the EU. EU policymakers say the big data could considerably change the way healthcare policies are shaped. Through a data-driven approach, health systems will be more focused …
Addressing endocrine disrupting chemicals requires an integrated strategy
Est. 4minThe dangers of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) for human health and the environment have long been documented and the evidence keeps piling up every day, yet Europe's approach to this challenge has been lukewarm, writes Genon Jensen.
Finland, UK and Ireland singled out in 2017 ‘Nanny State Index’
Est. 6minUsually praised by the EU for its highly competitive economy, Finland came under attack by a group of free-market think tanks on Wednesday (10 May) for pushing “paternalistic lifestyle policies” aimed at curbing consumption of tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks.