On 13 January, the DG CONNECT published information on the DECIPHER, an EU-funded project is working on a mobile application that will display a patient’s health data and can become accessible to caregivers when the patient goes abroad abroad. According to Rossana Alessandrello of the Catalan Agency of Health Quality and Assessment, DECIPHER Project […]

On 22 December 2016, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control published information regarding the Agency’s latest risk assessement report. According to this report, seven cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) in asylum seekers has been detected in Switzerland between February and August 2016. The seven cases of MDR TB were diagnosed among 15–19 […]

On 20 December, the UEMO Senior Policy Advisor, Ms. Marie-Christine Bonnamour had a meeting with the Health Attaché of the Permanent Representation of Malta to the EU, Mr. Stephen Mifsud. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the top health priorities of the upcoming Maltese Presidency in the Council of the EU and emphasise […]

The European Parliament has demanded compensation for the victims of a German pharmaceutical drug thalidomide,that caused thousands of children to be born with deformities and many more to die, 60 years after the scandal first broke. German company Grünenthal started selling thalidomide in 1957 as an anti-nausea and dizziness remedy for pregnant women. EU lawmakers […]

On 12 December 2016, the European Policy Center co-organised with CHES (Coalition for Health, Ethics and Society) a briefing on the Health Priorities of the Maltese Presidency. Ms.Claire Dheret, Senior Policy analyst at EPC, was the Chairman of the discussion. The speakers included Ms. Paula Franklin,  Policy officer at EPC and Mr. Stephen Mifsud,  health […]

On 9 December, Mr. Chris Fearne, Maltese Health Minister, delivered an interview at Euractiv. He underlined that the upcoming Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU will have two main groups of priorities on health. The Maltese Presidency will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 January 2017. […]

On 30 November, the European Commission and its Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) publish the final Opinion on the biological effects of ultraviolet radiation relevant to health with particular reference to sunbeds for cosmetic purposes. Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR), including that emitted by sunbeds, is a complete carcinogen, since it can initiate […]

DG SANTE wishes to evaluate the 3rd Health Programme which runs from 2014 to 2020, since it is nearly at the half-way point. The Commission wishes to assess whether the programme is meeting its objectives and whether there is room for improvement. As part of the mid-term evaluation, DG SANTE seeks to gather views and […]

As a first step in the Commission’s State of Health in the EU cycle, the ‘Health at a Glance: Europe 2016’ report was published in November 2016. The report was developed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with cooperation from the Commission. It provides an updated analysis of the health status of […]