Brussels, 9 September – Hard-fought milestones in public health procurement, such as the inclusion of quality standards, are under threat in Europe. The 5th conference of the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), entitled “Tectonic Tensions: Europe’s fear of commitment” was a great opportunity to debate on the future of Europe’s public health and the role of the European Institutions.
Schuttelaar & Partners supported the EPHA in its public relations and brought the debate on the future of Europe’s public health to the attention of European and national media. Following the conference, two striking events were highlighted in the media: the statements of outgoing Commissioner Tonio Borg and the debate on TTIP negotiations.
TTIP – Will it advantage EU public health?
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More than a year after the launch of TTIP discussions, negotiators from both sides of the Atlantic still struggle to prove the positive impact of the potential deal on public health. At the conference, advocates of TTIP tried to ease the EU public health community’s worries about the partnership. On the bright side, these negotiations form an opportunity to promote public health. According to DG TRADE Commissioner Ignacio Garcia-Bercero, most reactions from civil society towards TTIP talks involved public services, the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) and intellectual property. All elements that influence public health.
Ms Elena Bryan, senior trade representative of the US Mission to the EU, made clear that Americans care as much about the right to appropriately regulate and ensure excellent public health and consumer protection as European citizens do. These soothing arguments did not convince the audience, that wanted to know what exactly would be the advantages of TTIP for EU public health. However, this question remained unanswered throughout the continuation of the session.
Outgoing European Commissioner of Health stresses the role of the EU
Tonio Borg, who made one of his last public appearances in his role of European Commissioner for Health, made a plea for more power to Brussels in order to narrow the gap in quality of health provision between EU countries. Currently, Member States can use regional cohesion funds, but Borg is not sure that countries use these funds to improve public health. He stressed the role of the EU in supporting and guiding the member states.
You can find more information about EPHA and the conference at epha.org or on Twitter via the hashtag #EPHA2014.The conference was managed by Schuttelaar & Partners, specialists in public relations and public affairs support in the field of health and sustainability.