Healthy citizens Archives

As the coronavirus crisis continues to have a devasting impact on people’s lives and livelihoods, all eyes are on scientists to deliver on a COVID-19 vaccine. It is widely accepted that a safe and effective vaccine represents our best chance of …

Despite the identification of clear, actionable steps in the prevention of fragility fractures and osteoporosis, EU policy action on the matter remains lacking as the situation is set to worsen.  But a new policy toolkit aims to help change this.

Osteoporosis is a chronic condition in which bones become weak and brittle, leading to fractures and breaks which often carry life-debilitating consequences. As well as causing considerable mental and psychological distress, they also severely impair people's abilities to participate in normal …

The narrative that osteoporosis is a natural consequence of ageing must be challenged and emphasis must be given to a smarter way of screening to reduce the risk of fracture and the associated costs, the president of the International Osteoporosis Foundation, told EURACTIV in an interview.

European citizens have been exemplary in their fight against COVID 19. They have bravely overcome an acute sanitary threat and paid the high economic, social and psychological price of the lockdown, write a group of European lawmakers.

Nine out of ten people living with rare diseases across Europe have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, including three out of ten who said that this has caused “life-threatening” disruption, according to a recent study by EURORDIS-Rare Diseases Europe.

The President of the European Commission launched an EU-wide public consultation on Europe's Beating Cancer Plan on Tuesday (4 February), announcing an EU-wide "open health data space" in support of research, prevention and cure.

In an interview with EURACTIV, Michaela Pichler, secretary-general of the International Association for Cereal Science and Technology (ICC), spoke about the importance of whole grains, but also about the lack of industry standards, labelling and promotion of whole grain foods.

Increasing the daily intake of whole grains to 30-40g reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by up to 20%, EURACTIV.com heard at a recent event to mark the first International Whole Grain Day.

The new European Commission should tackle "head-on" rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, the president of the European League Against Rheumatism (Eular) told EURACTIV in an interview, referring to chronic diseases that affect one-quarter of all Europeans, creating healthcare and social security costs.

Companies and lawmakers must take more responsibility in helping to solve issues related to buildings, including reducing carbon emissions and improving health standards, according to Velux CEO David Briggs.

A third of European children live in damp, cold, dark or noisy homes, according to new findings released last week. Portugal is the worst offender in the EU, with one in two kids exposed to unhealthy conditions.

Indoor environment quality and healthy homes play an ever more substantial role in human wellbeing, according to new research unveiled at a high-level event last week (10 October).

Human beings spend on average 90% of their lives indoors. Buildings are also a huge drain on energy resources and create a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. This Special Report looks deeper into the places we live and work.

While Germany is being branded a 'developing country' in terms of tobacco regulation, experts warn that a new wave of cancer illnesses may be related to the consumption of E-cigarettes. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The European People’s Party (EPP), the biggest political group in the EU assembly, will ask for the creation of a special parliamentary committee to help formulate a new EU-wide plan to combat cancer. EURACTIV.com and EURACTIV.cz report from Strasbourg.

With increased powers, Health Commissioner-designate Stella Kyriakides is tasked with striking a difficult balance between making sure there is a steady supply of affordable medicines and ensuring that EU pharma industry remains a world leader in innovation.

The Romanian government has decided to promote the consumption of healthy and traditional foodstuffs by cutting the VAT rate from 9% to 5%. EURACTIV Romania reports.

Floods, droughts, heatwaves and other climate-related extremes caused economic losses of €453 billion between 1980 and 2017, claiming the lives of more than 115,000 people across Europe.

A global paradigm shift is occurring in attitudes towards economic and social progress. From a GDP centred model, a new paradigm now focuses on improving citizen's well-being. All Policies for a Healthy Europe is a multi-stakeholder initiative calling for Europe …

The well-being of EU citizens should be made a priority and an intersectoral approach integrating policy areas such as housing, fighting pollution and digital transformation into health can also help bring about new economic models, MEPs and civil society representatives agree.

Stakeholders from different policy areas have come together to set broader, multi-sectorial priorities for health and well-being but also to make the entire sector an EU priority in the next legislative term, because it could help foster a "new and stronger economic model" for Europe.

Fine particle matter in the EU capital’s air exceeded a warning threshold on Thursday (28 February) but did not worsen enough to trigger free public transport. In a separate development, one of the EU’s top lawyers urged governments to put monitoring stations where pollution is highest.