What we are reading...
Ageing WHO urges action to transform care and support systems for older people and
notes the critical role played by countries in providing services that support their health and wellbeing.
Alcohol consumption WHO launched the
‘Redefine alcohol’ campaign to raise awareness of the health risks associated with alcohol consumption and inspire healthier choices. In parallel, the campaign urges policymakers and health authorities to help bring about a broader cultural shift in how alcohol is viewed and regulated in society.
Alcohol marketing Latvia is set to ban
beer and wine advertisements on TV and radio to curb alcohol consumption and the negative impact of such marketing on young people – Baltic News Network.
Alcohol marketing and sales The Polish government is tightening restrictions around
alcohol sales and marketing in response to increasing levels of alcohol consumption among minors – EuroWeekly News.
Child poverty A European Parliament report provides a snapshot of the
EU’s contribution to tackling child poverty, including through instruments such as the European Child Guarantee.
Child poverty A
Save the Children
position paper calls for better implementation of the European Child Guarantee and the development of an ambitious EU Anti-Poverty Strategy.
Digital health A new report by WHO and the International Telecommunication Union shows that an additional US$0.24 per patient per year in
digital health interventions could save more than 2 million lives from non-communicable diseases over the next decade.
Economic inequalities A study commissioned by the European Commission reviews
trends in income inequality in the EU over the last fifteen years. It shows that four out of five EU citizens perceive inequality as too high in their country. Distributional Impact Assessments are presented as cross-cutting policy tools that can help policymakers to reduce disparities.
Environment Ireland’s State of the Environment Report shows that there are still substantial challenges to deliver action on climate, air, nature, water and the circular economy. Cross-government initiatives such as the Wellbeing Framework for Ireland are important vehicles for change.
Food People’s realities shape how people respond to and engage with policies, influencing their impact. For policies to deliver better eating, they need to
consider the full picture of people’s realities - Nature.
Health systems WHO has launched a new
technical guidance to help countries strengthen health systems after disruptions. The guidance focuses on addressing gaps, improving resilience, and integrating recovery efforts into broader health reforms.
Housing exclusion A report by the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless and Foundation (FEANTSA) highlights
increasing housing exclusion across Europe, especially among young people.
Material deprivation Austria’s ‘
Ready to Start School’ initiative aims to ease material deprivation by providing vouchers to pupils from households receiving minimum income or social assistance – European Commission.
Mental health Marking World Mental Health Day, the European Parliament developed a brief highlighting the
state of play of mental health at work and action at the EU and WHO levels.
Prevention budget Patient groups react to the new Flemish government’s decision to
increase its prevention healthcare budget by just €10 million. They argue that a larger investment is needed to effectively address key health issues – Euractiv.
Racism A new report by the UCL Institute for Health Equity lays out the
effects of racism on health and its contribution to avoidable inequalities in health between ethnic groups in London.
Social cohesion An analysis by Eurofound shows that countries are
performing better in creating human capital (knowledge, skills, and health) through education. It also finds inequalities in human capital in the labour market and mobility, where differences in employment opportunities result in different mobility flows.
Social convergence The
Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) review highlights significant social convergence in the EU over the last decade, meaning that the gap between countries with more and less developed economies is getting smaller. It explores how social investment, housing policies, and green reforms can support this progress.
Social protection A Eurofound report on
unemployment and minimum income benefits for people of working age finds that social benefits helped reduce the proportion of people in the EU aged 16-64 at risk of poverty by half (from 31% to 15.5%).
Tax policy The OECD’s
Tax Policy Reforms 2024 report highlights a shift from pandemic tax cuts to increases in corporate taxes and social security contributions. Governments are addressing long-term challenges like climate change and ageing populations while scaling back VAT relief and expanding carbon health-related taxes, especially on tobacco, alcoholic beverages, sugar-sweetened beverages, and gambling.
Tax policy The European Parliamentary Research Service produced a
briefing on behavioural taxation in the EU as a way to shape choices on tobacco, alcohol, food travel and energy use.
Tobacco control The European Commission approved a decision by the French government to
ban disposable e-cigarettes, supporting efforts to reduce waste and vaping among youth - Euractiv
Tobacco control An analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 indicates that the implementation of
new tobacco control policies is crucial in avoiding additional smoking-attributable burden in the coming decades and in building on the success of existing efforts – the Lancet Public Health.
Youth Council The WHO
Youth Declaration on Creating Healthy Societies calls for youth to play a central role in creating healthier and safer societies.