Besides the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee of the European Parliament (ENVI) adopted report, the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) endorsed the health promotion dimension of the programme. The two institutions would like to see the health programme for 2014-2020 focus on promoting health, preventing disease and creating conditions that encourage healthy lifestyles.
Members of the Committee on the Environment and Public Health (ENVI) changed the name to ‘Health and growth for citizens‘. The report was adopted unanimously. To a larger extent the report stressed the ageing of the population, putting emphasis on related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Members of the ENVI committee included health inequalities, children’s health and gender aspects of health into their position.
The health promotion aspects were strengthened in the report with the programme addressing key factors of risk: tobacco, drugs, sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets, and environmental factors as well as communicable diseases. The report also includes the marketing on alcohol, tobacco, and unhealthy food and highlights the benefits of creating smoke free environments .
However, the report does not deal with the use of drugs or injury prevention although both are public health challenges.
On the contrary, tackling drug related harm was a strong part of the council position.
Health Ministers suggested ‘Health and growth‘ whereas the Council enumerated the programme’s priorities:
– 1. promotion of health, prevention of diseases and creation of conditions promoting healthy lifestyles;
– 2. protection of citizens from serious cross-border health threats;
– 3. capacity-building in the field of health and promotion of innovative, effective and viable health systems; and
– 4. safer and better quality health care.
Increasing the empasis on health promotion is in line with what EPHA position to go beyond economic growth to promote health.
Ministers recognised the importance of reducing health inequalities and changed the general objectives of the programme – one of the requests EPHA has been making since the drafting of the health for growth programme.
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