Tag: children

With European children getting heavier and less active, health experts say policymakers should draw a lesson from anti-tobacco campaigns and consider heavier taxation schemes to combat teenage fat.

The European Commission is encouraging member states to invest more resources in making pre-school education available to all children from an early age.

Members of the European Parliament have taken a strong stand in favour of giving women workers the right to take 20 weeks of maternity leave on full pay. The European Commission now has to find a compromise that will also be acceptable to the member states.

To mark 'Universal Children's Day', the Commission has urged member states to do more to protect children from sexual exploitation and said it was considering criminalising the solicitation of children for abuse through the Internet.

The European Commission has begun a two-month review of safety controls after US toy giant Mattel said that Chinese-made accessories for its emblematic 'Barbie' dolls had to be recalled "due to impermissible levels of lead".

Nutritious school lunches together with a ban on sweets and sugary drinks in school can help reduce the risk of obesity in children, argues a study from Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet.

The European Commission and German EU Presidency have been urged to tackle the growing problem of cross-border abduction of children by parents from different member states.

Report points to successes of “Safer Internet Action Plan” but concern levels still high.

The Commission has opened a public consultation on potential social dangers to the increasing number of children and young people using mobile phones.

Consumers' organisations welcome the Commission's decision banning the import and marketing of lighters that do not respect high standards of safety for children.

Concerned about the increasing effects of environmental pollution on people's health, the Commission adopted a European strategy for Environment and Health in June 2003. One year on, it presented an Action Plan which focuses on the most vulnerable groups, particularly children. Environmental NGOs and the European green party heavily criticised it for being too weak on legislative proposals and focusing only on research.

On 27 October, Environment Ministers will adopt conclusions on the European strategy for health and environment. The strategy is designed to tackle the problem of illnesses linked to environmental factors.

Worried about the increasing health effects of environmental pollution, the Commission adopted a Communication outlining a European strategy for Environment and Health on 11 June.