Communication on the future of public health policy
The European Commission has adopted a communication designed to promote a wide-ranging debate on the future of public health policy in the EU. The communication will also serve to stimulate discussions on the EU's existing public health strategy, which has been in place since 1993, and reflects the Commission's commitment to give health policy a higher priority. This communication has been issued in response to new developments affecting public health policy including the dramatically changing demographic situation, new health threats, the pending enlargement of the EU and the new public health provisions in the Treaty of Amsterdam. The Council and the Parliament have also called for a debate on a new public health policy. The communication sets out a possible new Community public health policy based on three strands of action: - Improving information for the development of public health, through the development of a comprehensive EU system for collecting, analysing and disseminating information; - Reacting rapidly to threats to health by means of EU surveillance, early warning and rapid reaction capability; - Tackling health determinants through health promotion and disease prevention.