The Commission welcomes the adoption by the Council of the European Union of the Commission’s proposal to strengthen EU action against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Announced together with the Commission’s revision of the pharmaceutical legislation on 26 April, the AMR Recommendation helps combat AMR in the fields of human, animal and environmental health, following the so-called One Health approach. […]
Read MoreHow lonely are Europeans? Monitoring and tackling loneliness in Europe
Loneliness, the feeling of lacking meaningful social interactions, has been identified as a serious public health concern and linked to a number of factors, including poor health and low social connectedness. The increased risk of loneliness associated with prolonged lockdowns and self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn even more attention to the issue, with […]
Read MoreThe European Commission will support Member States putting people and their mental health first
The Commission adds a pillar to the European Health Union: a new comprehensive approach to mental health. This approach is a first and important step to put mental health on par with physical health and to ensure a new, cross sectoral approach to mental health issues. With 20 flagship initiatives and €1.23 billion in EU funding from different financial instruments, […]
Read MoreEuropean Commission and WHO launch landmark digital health initiative to strengthen global health security
The European Commission and the World Health Organization (WHO) have announced the launch of a landmark digital health partnership. In June 2023, WHO will take up the European Union (EU) system of digital COVID-19 certification to establish a global system that will help facilitate global mobility and protect citizens across the world from on-going and […]
Read MoreEuropean Parliament calls for prudent use of antibiotics and more support for research
Parliament adopted its recommendations on Thursday for a coordinated EU response to health threats posed by antimicrobial resistance. In a resolution passed with 525 votes in favour, two against and 33 abstentions, MEPs say the successful tackling of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) requires the prudent use of antibiotics for humans and animals, good infection prevention and […]
Read MoreCommission secures agreement with BioNTech-Pfizer on the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines
The European Commission, acting with and on behalf of EU Member States through the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), and vaccine developers BioNTech-Pfizer, have reached an agreement to better address Member States’ assessment of evolving needs for COVID-19 vaccines. The amendment to the existing vaccines supply contract takes into account the improved epidemiological […]
Read MoreEurostat: Spain among EU countries with highest excess mortality in March 2023
In March 2023, excess mortality in the EU increased slightly compared with the previous month and stood at +0.3% above the baseline (average number of deaths for the same period in 2016-2019). This followed the positive developments of February 2023, when for the first time since February 2020 (pre-COVID-19 pandemic period), there was no excess mortality in the EU […]
Read MoreEU and US launch Health Task Force
Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides and US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra met yesterday in Brussels to launch the EU-US Health Working Group. The Task Force, set up to expand the EU-US partnership in the area of health, will focus on cooperation under three strands: priorities in the area […]
Read MoreStatement by President von der Leyen following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic
Welcoming the WHO’s announcement that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a global health emergency, President Ursula von der Leyen made the following statement: “Finally, after more than 3 years, COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency. This is good news. This pandemic has had a heavy toll on people, our society and our economy. But we have […]
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