L_2007301EN.01000301.xml
| 20.11.2007 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | L 301/3 |
DECISION No 1350/2007/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
of 23 October 2007
establishing a second programme of Community action in the field of health (2008-13)
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 152 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Having regard to the Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1),
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (2),
Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (3),
Whereas:
| (1) | The Community can contribute to protecting the health and safety of citizens through actions in the field of public health. A high level of health protection should be ensured in the definition and implementation of all Community policies and activities. Under Article 152 of the Treaty, the Community is required to play an active role by taking measures which cannot be taken by individual Member States, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity. The Community fully respects the responsibilities of the Member States for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care. |
| (2) | The health sector is characterised on the one hand by its considerable potential for growth, innovation and dynamism, and on the other by the challenges it faces in terms of financial and social sustainability and efficiency of the health care systems due, among other things, to ageing of the population and to medical advances. |
| (3) | The programme of Community action in the field of public health (2003-08), adopted by Decision No 1786/2002/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (4), was the first integrated Community programme in this field, and it has already delivered a number of important developments and improvements. |
| (4) | Continued effort is required in order to meet the objectives already established by the Community in the field of public health. It is therefore appropriate to establish a second programme of Community action on health (2008-13) (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Programme’). |
| (5) | A number of serious cross-border health threats with a possible worldwide dimension exist and new ones are emerging which require further Community action. The Community should treat serious cross-border health threats as a matter of priority. The Programme should place emphasis on strengthening the Community’s overall capacities by further developing cooperation between the Member States. Monitoring, early warning and action to combat serious threats to health are important areas where an effective and coordinated response to health threats should be promoted at Community level. Action to ensure high-quality diagnostic cooperation between laboratories is essential in order to respond to health threats. The Programme should encourage the establishment of a system of Community reference laboratories. However, such a system needs to be based on a sound legal base. |
| (6) | According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) European Health report 2005, in terms of Disability Adjusted Life-Years (DALYs), the most important causes of the burden of disease in the WHO European Region are non-communicable diseases (NCDs — 77 % of the total), external causes of injury and poisoning (14 %) and communicable diseases (9 %). Seven leading conditions — ischaemic heart disease, unipolar depressive disorders, cerebrovascular disease, alcohol use disorders, chronic pulmonary disease, lung cancer and road traffic injuries — account for 34 % of the DALYs in the region. Seven leading risk factors — tobacco, alcohol, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, overweight, low fruit and vegetable intake and physical inactivity — account for 60 % of DALYs. In addition, communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, influenza, tuberculosis and malaria are also becoming a threat to the health of all people in Europe. An important task of the Programme, in cooperation, where appropriate, with the Community Statistical Programme, should be to identify better the main health burdens in the Community. |
| (7) | Eight leading causes of mortality and morbidity from NCDs in the WHO European Region are cardiovascular diseases, neuropsychiatric disorders, cancer, digestive diseases, respiratory diseases, sense organ disorders, musculoskeletal diseases and diabetes mellitus. The Programme, in synergy with other Community initiatives and funding, should contribute to better knowledge of and information on the prevention, diagnosis and control of major diseases. Accordingly, the Commission may submit, during the course of the Programme, proposals for pertinent Council Recommendations. The Programme should also foster appropriate coordination and synergies among Community initiatives regarding the collection of comparable data on major diseases, including cancer. |
| (8) | Microbial resistance to antibiotics and nosocomial infections are becoming a threat to health in Europe. The lack of new effective antibiotics as well as the means to ensure the proper use of existing antibiotics are major concerns. Therefore it is important to collect and analyse relevant data. |
| (9) | Strengthening the role of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control established by Regulation (EC) No 851/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5) is important in the fight against communicable diseases. |
| (10) | The Programme should build on the achievements of the previous Programme for Community action in the field of public health (2003-08). It should contribute towards the attainment of a high level of physical and mental health and greater equality in health matters throughout the Community by directing actions towards improving public health, preventing human diseases and disorders, and obviating sources of danger to health with a view to combating morbidity and premature mortality. It should further contribute to providing citizens with better access to information and thereby increase their ability to make decisions which best cater for their interests. |
| (11) | The Programme should place emphasis on improving the health condition of children and young people and promoting a healthy lifestyle and a culture of prevention among them. |
| (12) | The Programme should support the mainstreaming of health objectives in all Community policies and activities, without duplicating work carried out under other Community policies. Coordination with other Community policies and programmes is a key part of the objective of mainstreaming health in other policies. In order to promote synergies and avoid duplication, joint actions may be undertaken with related Community programmes and actions and appropriate use should be made of other Community funds and programmes, including the current and future Community framework programmes for research and their outcomes, the Structural Funds, the European Solidarity Fund, the European strategy for health at work, the programme of Community action in the field of consumer policy (2007-13) (6), the programme ‘Drugs prevention and information’, the programme ‘Fight against violence (Daphne)’ and the Community Statistical Programme within their respective activities. |
| (13) | Special efforts should be undertaken to ensure coherence and synergies between the Programme and the Community’s external actions, particularly in the areas of avian influenza, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other cross-border health threats. In addition, there should be international cooperation in order to promote general health reform and general health institutional issues in third countries. |
| (14) | Increasing Healthy Life Years (HLY) by preventing disease and promoting policies that lead to a healthier way of life is important for the well-being of EU citizens and helps to meet the challenges of the Lisbon process as regards the knowledge society and the sustainability of public finances, which are under pressure from rising health care and social security costs. |
| (15) | The enlargement of the European Union has brought additional concerns in terms of health inequalities within the EU and this is likely to be accentuated by further enlargements. This issue should, therefore, be one of the priorities of the Programme. |
| (16) | The Programme should help to identify the causes of health inequalities and encourage, among other things, the exchange of best practices to tackle them. |
| (17) | It is essential to systematically collect, process and analyse comparable data, within national constraints, for an effective monitoring of the state of health in the European Union. This would enable the Commission and the Member States to improve information to the public and formulate appropriate strategies, policies and actions to achieve a high level of human health protection. Compatibility and interoperability of the systems and networks for exchanging information and data for the development of public health should be pursued in the actions and support measures. Gender, socioeconomic status and age are important health considerations. Data collection should wherever possible build on existing work, and proposals for new collections should be costed and based on a clear need. The collection of data should be in compliance with the relevant legal provisions on the protection of personal data. |
| (18) | Best practice is important because health promotion and prevention should be measured on the basis of efficiency and effectiveness, and not purely in economic terms. Best practice and latest treatment |
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