The EEA briefing ‘The effect of environmental noise on children’s reading ability and behaviour in Europe’ estimates the impact of transport noise on the reading and behaviour of children in Europe. The briefing is based on a technical analysis and report by EEA’s European Topic Centre on Human Health and the Environment. Based on noise data […]
Cardiovascular health: Council calls for more robust efforts to help prevent cardiovascular diseases
The Council is calling for more robust efforts to help prevent cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading cause of death in the European Union. In conclusions approved today, the Council puts forward a series of measures aimed at improving cardiovascular health in the EU, focusing specifically on prevention, early detection, treatment and rehabilitation. “Cardiovascular diseases […]
Council recommends increased protection against second-hand smoke and aerosols
The Council has adopted a recommendation that will help reduce exposure to second-hand smoke and aerosols and achieve a tobacco-free generation in Europe by 2040 as set out in Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. The recommendation on smoke and aerosol-free environments adopted today encourages EU countries to broaden the scope of their existing protection against second-hand smoke exposure to include key outdoor […]
Plant health law: Council adopts improved rules to protect against plant pests
Today the Council has adopted a targeted revision of the EU plant health law, which improves the way the EU fights plant pests, ensures that the plants that enter the EU are safe, and simplifies procedures. Main elements One of the ways in which the revision improves the existing framework and better protects the health […]
Higher life expectancy at birth for women in all EU regions
In 2022, life expectancy at birth in the EU for women (83.3 years) was 5.4 years higher than for men (77.9 years). This gender gap in favour of women persisted in all of the regions at level 2 of the nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS 2) for which data are available. Life expectancy at birth for women peaked in […]
European Health Data Space: Council and Parliament strike deal
The Council of the EU and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on a new law making it easier to exchange and access health data at EU level. The agreement will now need to be endorsed by both the Council and the Parliament. The proposed regulation for a European Health Data Space (EHDS) aims to improve individuals’ […]
EEA says European population’s exposure to bisphenol A use exceeds safe health thresholds
According to the EEA report, based on data collected in an EU human biomonitoring study, up to 100% of the participating individuals in 11 EU countries were likely to be exposed to the chemical, at levels above safe health thresholds. This raises important health concerns for the EU population as a whole. Taking into account […]
EU Global Health Strategy: Council approves conclusions
The Council approved conclusions on the ‘EU Global Health Strategy: Better health for all in a changing world’, in which it reaffirms the leading role of the EU and its member states in advancing global health. The Council acknowledges that physical and mental health is a human right and that health is a prerequisite for sustainable development. The Council welcomes the […]
EU Health Data Space: access to your health data across the EU
The EU wants to enable better access to health data for citizens, health professionals and researchers across borders. In May 2022, the European Commission put forward a proposal on the European Health Data Space, which aims to improve the use of health data for research, innovation and policymaking. At the same time, Europeans should have […]