At September’s Policy Coordination Meeting (PCM), it was decided that EPHA would undertake an evaluation of Commissioner Markos Kyprianou‘s performance during his first year in office.
The first stage of the assessment is an “inventory” of policies that Kyprianou has set out to address so far. It can be downloaded below.
The aim of the inventory is to provide EPHA Members with an opportunity to assess the Commissioner’s public health policy objectives and his efforts to implement them. The PCM decided that EPHA’s assessment should be a balanced report put in a very positive manner with thanks for the great job achieved so far and encouragement to do more with the offer of the help of EPHA, its members and the Health community.
The role of EPHA members
For each objective, the secretariat would encourage EPHA members to respond to the following questions in their own field:
– Has Commissioner Kyprianou fulfilled this objective?
– Have the Commission started to implement measures that would contribute towards improving the situation for the identified objective?
The role of EPHA secretariat
– The Secretariat will collect responses and comments from members on the basis of the inventory.
– All comments will be posted on this article.
– After having received comments, the secretariat will draft the EPHA position/response and it will be discussed at the Policy Coordination Meeting on the 25 January 2005.
– The deadline to receive final comments on the draft assessment is the Thursday 09 February 2006.
– After final comments from the members and approval from the Executive Committee, the Secretariat will send the document to all EPHA members information.
– The final document will be sent to Commissioner, and disseminate them widely.
The person in charge of following the issue at the Secretariat is Shivani Reddy: intern2@epha.org
Comments from Members
ECL: Markos Kyprianou considered in its initial interviews the fight against tobacco as one of his priorities. He was in favour of a smoking ban in workplaces and in all public places. In the answers at the parliament hearings on his designation, he said the following: “My personal aim would be to ensure that the Irish, Maltese and Swedish example has been followed throughout the EU by the end of my mandate, thanks to cooperation at EU as well as national level.“ One year later, one can say that the Commissioner has undertaken no initiative to achieve this objective.