Tag: Health

Following the scandal that saw a woman die from a faulty breast implant one year ago, the EU has moved to tighten up regulation on medical devices. But industry says the new proposal “does not contribute to patient safety” and will affect the EU’s speed to market and cripple innovation.

Policymakers recognise the links between innovation, growth and employment. However, novelty often bears uncertainty in Europe, where an increasingly risk-averse mind-set could threaten innovation, writes Dirk Hudig.

EU ministers will hold a meeting in Brussels tomorrow (13 February) to deal with the fallout from the horsemeat scandal as investigations in France and the UK continued yesterday.

Many EU consumers believe that their food, cleaning and beauty products contain chemicals, and are most likely to check food products for chemicals before buying, according to a new Eurobarometer survey.

Voting on a draft law Wednesday (6 February), the European Parliament said patients should have quicker access to cheaper generic medicines. The draft rules will require national authorities to meet new deadlines and transparency standards on pricing and reimbursement.

The EU must take action to reduce human's exposure to suspected hormone-affecting endocrine disruptors. Current regulation should be closely examined with a view to updating or proposing new legislation by June 2015 at the latest, the European Parliament's Public Health Committee said in resolution approved yesterday (23 January).

The European Parliament will formally demand sight of the report by OLAF, the EU’s anti-fraud body, which preceded the resignation of former Health Commissioner John Dalli over alleged cash-for-influence from the Tobacco industry.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) yesterday (8 January) opened a public consultation on the safety of Aspartame after studies in 2010 linked the sweetener to health conditions.

More transparency on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines should be the rule for the future to improve patient's access to affordable treatments, MEPs said after backing draft legislation in the environment and public health committee.

Violence is not just black and white, it has many different shades. On 7 December EU decision-makers adopted Council conclusions on Combating Violence Against Women, and the Provisions of Support Services for Victims of Domestic Violence. It is a positive step forward but more is needed, argues Annica Ryngbeck.

Belgian senators have urged the EU to take action on France’s proposed beer tax hike claiming that it infringes European competition rules. EurActiv.fr reports.

English and Welsh ministers are proposing a minimum price of ₤0.45 (€0.56) for a unit of alcohol as part of a push to tackle problem drinking.

Tonio Borg was confirmed by European lawmakers in Strasbourg today (21 November) but the Socialists & Democrats (S&D) group was left divided after its decision to reject the Maltese candidate for the job of EU health Commissioner was ignored by MEPs.

EXCLUSIVE / MEPs are due to vote next Wednesday (21 November) on the nomination of Tonio Borg as health and consumer protection commissioner. With three political groups lining up against his appointment, he will be asked to make a series of commitments if he is to get the job, EurActiv has learned.

Tonio Borg, the Maltese nominee for the European Commission's health and consumer protection portfolio, sailed through a three-hour Parliamentary vetting yesterday (13 November) despite repeated questioning about his views on abortion and gay rights.

Denmark has decided to abolish its fat tax after barely a year, citing too many negative side effects hitting businesses. A proposed sugar tax that was meant to be introduced in 2013 has also been scrapped.

EXCLUSIVE / Tonio Borg, the replacement candidate for John Dalli as Malta's EU commissioner in Brussels, has denounced attacks against him as "gross calumny and lies" ahead of a European Parliament confirmation hearing next Tuesday. German lawyers and politicians have piled pressure on Borg ahead of the hearing. EurActiv Germany reports.

The EU has no intention of imposing a ban on Chanel's No. 5 perfume, a European Commission spokesman has said, after a study recommended that tree moss used in the famous luxury perfume should be banned because of potential allergic reactions.

The dispute between former Health Commissioner John Dalli and Commission President José Manuel Barroso turned personal yesterday (24 October) as the pair traded legal threats.

SPECIAL REPORT / Research shows that living standards for the blind vary considerably across the European Union, but a uniformly ageing demographic and the challenges of modern technology afflict all people with visual impairments in the same way.

There are huge variations in employment conditions for visually impaired Europeans, but those countries offering more modern solutions do not always provide the best chances, says Fred Reid.

SPECIAL REPORT / A move by French opticians to gain greater professional recognition and to bolster a pan-European optometry examination system reflect wider calls for impaired sight to be given more emphasis by policymakers.

SPECIAL REPORT / With an ageing population and blindness on the rise, German ophthalmic experts are taking strides to find innovative solutions to the sight crisis looming over Europe with pioneering implant technology.

The emergence of smokeless tobacco in Sweden and now Norway should make the European Commission think twice about its decision to impose a ban, writes Steve Stotesbury.