A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IN OUR HANDS - To Parent Directory
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IN OUR HANDS - To Parent Directory A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IN OUR HANDS - To Parent Directory
Public health© CorbisWhat the EU’s doingThe EU has a recognised responsibility to ensure a high level ofhealth protection. An article in the EC Treaty, which establishedthe EU, says action shall be directed at improving public health bypreventing human illness and diseases and reducing the dangersto human health. Health and consumer protection are closelyrelated and food safety and alerts in case of danger are somethingthe EU takes seriously.At a national level, governments’ actions to protect their citizensare supported and reinforced by the EU’s policies. While countrieshave their own laws on public health, the EU is working tomake sure doctors, nurses and other professionals can move fromcountry to country easily and work wherever they are needed.Patients also need to be able to move around Europe to find thehealth care that best suits their needs.Here are some of the EU’s aims:• Making sure that by 2020 chemicals, including pesticides,are produced, handled and used safely• Working to reduce the inequalities in life expectancy andcurbing lifestyle-related diseases, such as alcoholism andobesity in EU countries• Developing strategies to deal with health threats quicklyand efficiently• Bringing down suicide rates and improving mental healththroughout the EU• Tightening the laws concerning our food and also the feedwe give to animals. This is where hygiene and labellingcome in• Making sure that animal welfare standards are high in theEU and outsideFrom legislating on the use and production of chemicals to coordinatingresponses to emergencies, the EU has a raft of measuresin place. Here are just some examples:048
Public healthDidyou know…According to the WWF,between 1930 and 2000 globalproduction of man-madechemicals increased from1 million to 400 milliontonnes each yearThe Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation ofChemicals (REACH) became law in June 2007 and isdesigned to improve the protection of public health. Itwill speed up the identification of exactly what chemicalsare in the products we buy, restricting the use of themost dangerous. REACH also covers chemicals usedin procedures happening around us, such as crop spraying,car spraying, construction and so on. This has beenreinforced by Community Action in the Field of ConsumerPolicy (2007-2013) which addresses our right to live healthily andsafely wherever we are and to have confidence in the products weconsume. It ensures better representation of consumers’ interestsand the effective application of consumer protection rules.The Public Health Programme (2003-2008) has three objectives:Firstly, gathering information on public health to make it possiblefor countries in the EU to have a clear idea of what is affectingthe health of their populations both positively and negatively, andto share their best ways of working. Secondly, it sets out ways ofreacting to threats such as TB, HIV/AIDS, possible terrorist attacks,and a potential pandemic that could be sparked by bird flu.Thirdly, the programme aims to promote healthy lifestyle choicesand reduce the numbers of accidents at work.In 2008 this programme will be replaced by the Second Programmeof Community Action in the Field of Health 2008-2013. This willalso focus on ageing and health and on reducing health inequalitiesacross the EU.The Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe(CEHAPE) aims to ensure that member states put children’s healthat the top of the political agenda, for the sake of today’s childrenand future generations. The plan involves children and childcareprofessionals in policy-making, promotes health and educationprogrammes, and researches health threats that are a particularthreat to children.The Food Hygiene Package, introduced in January 2006, tightensand harmonises EU food safety measures. These laws apply atevery point in the food chain, in line with the EU’s “farm to fork”approach. A key aspect of the new legislation is that all food andfeed operators, from farmers and processors to retailers and049
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Public healthDidyou know…According to the WWF,between 1930 and 2000 globalproduction of man-madechemicals increased from1 million to 400 milliontonnes each yearThe Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation ofChemicals (REACH) became law in June 2007 and isdesigned to improve the protection of public health. Itwill speed up the identification of exactly what chemicalsare in the products we buy, restricting the use of themost dangerous. REACH also covers chemicals usedin procedures happening around us, such as crop spraying,car spraying, construction and so on. This has beenreinforced by Community Action in the Field of ConsumerPolicy (2007-2013) which addresses our right to live healthily andsafely wherever we are and to have confidence in the products weconsume. It ensures better representation of consumers’ interestsand the effective application of consumer protection rules.The Public Health Programme (2003-2008) has three objectives:Firstly, gathering information on public health to make it possiblefor countries in the EU to have a clear idea of what is affectingthe health of their populations both positively and negatively, andto share their best ways of working. Secondly, it sets out ways ofreacting to threats such as TB, HIV/AIDS, possible terrorist attacks,and a potential pandemic that could be sparked by bird flu.Thirdly, the programme aims to promote healthy lifestyle choicesand reduce the numbers of accidents at work.In 2008 this programme will be replaced by the Second Programmeof Community Action in the Field of Health 2008-2013. This willalso focus on ageing and health and on reducing health inequalitiesacross the EU.The Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe(CEHAPE) aims to ensure that member states put children’s healthat the top of the political agenda, for the sake of today’s childrenand future generations. The plan involves children and childcareprofessionals in policy-making, promotes health and educationprogrammes, and researches health threats that are a particularthreat to children.The Food Hygiene Package, introduced in January 2006, tightensand harmonises EU food safety measures. These laws apply atevery point in the food chain, in line with the EU’s “farm to fork”approach. A key aspect of the new legislation is that all food andfeed operators, from farmers and processors to retailers and049
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