Analysis
Bayer-Monsanto merger could reshape EU food sector
Mega-mergers in the food sector have become commonplace, but EU laws do little to help it keep check on the impact this could have on the environment, public health, and food security.
Investigation
Diesel cars contribute to about 10,000 deaths a year
Half the premature deaths from car pollution are caused by nitrogen oxide emissions exceeding the EU limits, a new study shows.
In cooperation with
Column / Health Matters
Does the EU live up to its promises on life sciences?
Small businesses play a huge role in the EU economy, especially in life sciences, and this is oft-repeated in political speeches. But do the policies reflect the rhetoric?
Analysis
UK’s childhood obesity strategy - an EU blueprint?
One in three children aged between six and nine in Europe is either overweight or obese and the epidemic is threatening to bankrupt health services.
Egg scare prompts review of EU alert systems
Health ministers' meeting called to discuss improvements to EU alert systems, but Danish and French authorities said pesticide levels in eggs too low to harm people.
Column / Health Matters
Holiday season means risk of tropical diseases in Europe
The Asian Tiger mosquito and Yellow Fever mosquito species are now present in parts of Europe thanks to warmer temperatures, bringing the risk of tropical diseases with them.
Bad information increases contaminated eggs scare
Belgium's admission that it took more than a month to inform the EU about a pesticide in eggs has raised questions about the efficiency of the EU alert system.
EU cautious with German diesel plan
The European Commission welcomed the German carmakers' pledge to update software in diesel cars, but is waiting for details on how emissions will be reduced.
Analysis
Visegrad lobby makes food quality an EU issue
Fico convinced the EU commission chief to take action in the perceived problem of discriminatory food practices, even though the evidence for the phenomenon is anecdotal.
Opinion
Ceta and pesticides: A citizens' rights issue
The trade agreement with Canada will begin to apply on 21 September. But there is still a potential conflict on the right to data protection vs. the right to access information.
Opinion
EU’s attitude to plant-based products needs to change
Increasingly popular non-meat products are good for the environment, health, and animal welfare. But the EU still remains strangely negative about the prospect.
Dutch offer €250mn office for EU medicines agency
The Netherlands is one of the many countries that want to host the EU's medicines agency after Brexit.
EU adopts hormone disruptor norms
A European Commission proposal on how to define endocrine disruptors was voted through on Tuesday, after a year of blockage. A French turn-around allowed the decision.
Interview
Cheap meat is a bigger problem for climate and health
A leading scholar of sustainability issues has called on the EU to introduce protectionist food policies that impose tough health and environmental standards in order to stop the imports of cheap and poor quality meat.
Column / Health Matters
Is Brexit a risk to our health?
People seem more worried in the Brexit debate about the relocation of the European Medicines Agency building, than the more important issue of risks to European public health.
Cigarette tracking rules risk being derailed by lobbyists
Anti-smoking activists fear that tobacco lobbyists will neuter an EU tracking requirement to counter illicit trade, by trying to influence technical talks in Brussels.
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Latest News
- Egg scare prompts EU to consider national food safety officers
- EU commission says Spanish website seizures are legal
- EU commission sees 'more evidence' of dual food quality
- A social Europe needs better housing
- London firms seek free trade after Brexit
- Macron to lay out plan for EU 'pioneers'
- Polish president disappoints EU on judicial reform
- Italy brushes off southern alliance in EU agency race
Drug overdoses on the rise in Europe
The number of people registered as having died from drug overdose has increased in the EU, Norway and Turkey.
Nordics could become 'Silicon Valley' of food
Five Nordic prime ministers tested seaweed for lunch and launched a new sustainable food policy initiative.
Letter
An open letter to ministers on the audiovisual directive
The ongoing revision of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive is a key opportunity to reduce exposure of Europe's children to advertisements of health-harmful products – an opportunity that should not be missed.
Interview
Cost of obesity outweighs war and terrorism
Despite the expanding costs – and waistlines – caused by rising levels of European obesity, little is being done to remedy the epidemic.
Study: Dieselgate helped cause 6,800 premature deaths in EU
New research published in Nature science magazine gives a better picture of the health impact of cars emitting beyond the EU limits.
Analysis
Audiovisual bill falls short in battle against childhood obesity
Health campaigners would encourage kids to drink water instead of fizzy drinks. But the watering down of an EU directive to protect children from sugary food and drink ads was not what they had in mind.
Air pollution, Europe's largest environmental health hazard
While the health of hundreds of thousands of Europeans' are affected each year by air quality issues, the EU and its member states struggle to implement and comply with legislation that aims to reduce air pollution.
Investigation
Health experts to study Dieselgate impact
Scientists are aiming to provide a complete picture of the effects of the excess emissions of diesel cars, after they estimated VW's emissions test cheating would lead to 1,200 premature deaths in Europe.
Letter
Childhood obesity: Time to put words into action
MEPs from all parties have repeatedly voiced their concerns about the rising levels of childhood overweight and obesity. Yet, when the opportunity arises to put declarations into action, the response falls short.
Breast implant scandal triggers more EU oversight
A broad range of medical devices, from stethoscopes to breast implants, will be put under greater scrutiny in the EU after the European Parliament agreed on new rule
Opinion
Don't let circular economy become a health hazard
The promotion of a circular economy must guarantee European consumers that products made from recovered or recycled materials, including plastics, do not also include recovered or recycled hazardous substances.
Feature
Civil society steps in to fight rising obesity
By 2030, it is estimated that more than 50 percent of Europeans will be obese. With a lack of public policies and coherent strategies, civil society is often the one trying to find a solution.
Interview
Malta's fight against childhood obesity
Despite ambitious plans and a top political priority to fight childhood obesity, Malta has only managed to halt the rise of obese and overweight children.
Stakeholder
The EU cannot let its patients down
Public health is being pushed into the background at EU level, while a cooperative and patient-centred approach could help to achieve a fairer and better healthcare system for European citizens.
Stakeholders' Highlights
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- Europe Under Challenge; Recipe for a Competitive EU
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- EU 2018 Budget: A Case of Three Paradoxes
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