Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-03-16-Speech-4-046"
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"en.20060316.5.4-046"2
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"Mr President, let me start by saying that I agree with absolutely every word the last speaker said; I shall not repeat it all, but well done! I should like to thank Mr Trakatellis for an excellent report and I also thank the Commissioner for being so honest with us here this morning and stating that this Community action plan on health already needs to be reviewed if it is to be effective, so that we can prioritise areas, because of – and I use his words – ‘the accounting muddle’. All I can say about that is that it is an embarrassment!
The EC Treaty states that ‘a high level of human health protection should be ensured in the definition and implementation of all Community policies’. This report is an important first step in making our citizens’ right to health protection, enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, a reality.
While health is a Member State competence, the European Community can add value and complement the activities of Member States through urgently needed coordination and collation of best practice models so that we can learn from each other and create centres of excellence. By mainstreaming health into all EU policies, by conducting extended health impact assessments and evaluations on all EU legislation and by promoting healthy lifestyles, the EU can provide the necessary platform for joined-up thinking across its Member States.
According to the World Health Organisation, in 2000, for the first time in history, the number of overweight people in the world equalled those who were underweight – more than one billion overweight, 300 million of whom are obese – with the huge implications this has for morbidity. In this respect, it is imperative that we encourage a preventive approach and I welcome a number of recent Commission initiatives in this area.
The broader behavioural, social and environmental factors that determine health can be optimally addressed at Community level through a holistic, as opposed to fragmented, approach. Complementary and alternative medicines, where scientifically substantiated, must be included in any Community action programme in the field of health.
The European Community is optimally positioned to combat transnational health problems, such as the threat posed by epidemics of infectious diseases and food-related incidences. BSE, SARS and the recent avian influenza concerns have all, to our cost, underlined the imperative of having proactive, pre-emptive coordinated action in the area of health.
The proliferation of EU agencies in the field of health – the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the European Food Safety Authority and others – is a very welcome and necessary development in tackling these health threats. However, these bodies cannot function without a clear Community-level policy and the necessary designated financial resources to underpin them. If the money is not secured in the budget and a preventive approach cannot be taken, the consequences, financial and otherwise, may be much greater. Less money from an EU of 25 than from an EU of 15 is not acceptable and is, frankly, irresponsible.
Could the Commissioner tell us where our health services directive is and when we will have a draft proposal?"@en1
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