On 28 June 2007, Liesbeth Timmermans attended the 2nd Preparatory Meeting of the Health-EU Portal Editorial Board organised by the European Commission in Luxembourg.
The Health-EU Portal
The event was organised by DG SANCO in order to collect feedback and advice on the editorial policy of the Health-EU Portal.
European Commission officials briefed the Editorial Board on the latest developments of the Health-EU Portal and presented the main findings of an external evaluation that surveyed current and potential users of the website.
The main conclusions of the evaluation were:
– Even though the Portal has become increasingly used to access public health information, especially for those working in public health administrations or health professionals, there is still a low awareness of the Portal among EU citizens as a whole, particularly among the younger age groups.
– The content and presentation of the Portal is generally well-regarded by current users, but more information is needed to allow comparison between national health care systems.
– Although a majority of respondents to the on-line survey were happy with the language capacity of the Portal, 27% still consider the Portal unlikely to respond to their questions in their native language.
The European Commission is now seeking to improve the functionality of the Portal, especially concerning layout, submission of content to feed the Portal, and site referencing.
NGOs can submit health related news and events for the Portal online.
More general comments on the Portal can be sent to Liesbeth Timmermans before September 2007.
The Health-EU Newsletter
DG SANCO also introduced the recently published Health-EU newsletter which will be issued on a bimensual basis from September 2007 onwards. Each newsletter will spotlight an International or European “Health Day” and highlight the action undertaken in this specific field at European level, with links to relevant organisations active in the area.
Comments to the e-newsletter can be submitted online.
– *Updated* The European Commission Public Health Portal launched