Newsletter on food safety, health and consumer policy from the ’s Health and Consumers DG

April 2008 Headline story Health Commissioner appears before the Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou appears before the European Parliament___ 1 bureaucracy and not intervene if a system is working well.

For cancer screening, she announced Top stories a Commission review to determine whether the targets in the Member States had been met and, if appro- ‘Health and Consumers’ Directorate-General: a new name to reflect a new structure ____ 2 priate, would propose the inclusion of other types of cancer that require early screening. Toy safety: today and into the future _ ____ 2 Regarding tobacco the Commissioner Forum on global trade and farm animal signalled her determination to keep welfare______2 up the fight against smoking and will make proposals in light of the forth- Androulla Vassiliou, Health Commissioner coming third report on the Tobacco RAPEX annual report______3 On 1 April, Androulla Vassiliou, newly Products Directive. appointed Food safety: Commission adopts new for Health, delivered her opening Another top priority discussed at slaughtering regulation ______3 address at a joint session of the length was food safety. Mrs Vassiliou Committees for Environment, Agri- noted that Europe is the world’s culture, Employment and Internal The burden of cancer: joining forces in Europe largest food importer and as such she to prevent and fight this disease ______4 Market and Consumer Protection at is aware of the situation regarding the European Parliament. In setting shortages and price rises as well as the out the priorities of her agenda, the need to safeguard quality standards of Curbing alcohol abuse in Europe ______4 Commissioner underlined the need imported food. for Europe to work together to deliver Low voltage directive: improved safety for consumers ______4 the high levels of public health and On the sensitive issue of animal food safety that European citizens welfare in transport, Commissioner expect and demand. Vassiliou plans to accelerate legisla- tion and would implement the Action In brief On the topical issue of cross-border Plan on Animal Welfare. healthcare, a proposal will be submitted for adoption by the Commission in Mrs Vassiliou received a warm Vilnius hosts European Commission training June as part of a package of social welcome from MEPs who subse- on road and rail border controls______2 measures. The Commissioner empha- quently delivered a convincing endor- sised that this would not concern the sement of her appointment. Avian influenza: technical training seminar in movement of services but rather the Brussels______3 right of citizens to receive healthcare across Europe. For further information, please visit: Safe recycled plastics in food packaging: a http://ec.europa.eu/commission_ Commission Regulation______3 Concerning organ donation Mrs barroso/vassiliou/speeches_interviews_ Vassiliou intends to introduce stand- en.htm ards which should not lead to excessive

ISSN 1830-7051 In brief Toy safety: today and into the future operators to improve product safety; ‘Health and Consumers’ stronger and more consistent en- Directorate-General: a new forcement of existing rules; and name to reflect a new structure re-engineering of how toys are conceived, built and delivered. Par- On 16 April, the Directorate- ticular attention should be paid to the General for Health and Consumer external dimension of the problem, as Protection (DG SANCO) took on a safety is a global issue. new name – Directorate-General for ‘Health and Consumers’. The While acknowledging the efforts of change was introduced to better reputable businesses to ensure the mirror the DG’s long-standing safety of their products, the Commis- mission to empower and inform sioner spoke of the need to strengthen consumers rather than simply to these efforts as there remains a sig- ‘protect’ them. nificant number of unsafe toys circu- , Consumer Commissioner lating in Europe. She pointed out the The new name also coincides with necessity to identify current weak- internal changes within the DG. On 9 April, Commissioner for Con­­ nesses in the system and anticipate Notably, parts of the communica- sumers, Meglena Kuneva, spoke potential problems. Commissioner tion function have been integrated at the ‘Toys Industries of Europe’ Kuneva reiterated that safety is a into the policy services, the aim summit, addressing the issue of the global concern and that a lot should being to foster closer integration of massive toy recalls that took place be done outside EU borders in coop- policy and communication. last summer and taking stock of the eration with the Community’s main lessons learned to ensure and boost trading partners, in particular the US Vilnius hosts European consumer confidence for the future. and China. Commission training on road The Commissioner highlighted the and rail border controls findings of the Commission’s asses- sment on product safety and the For further information on the speech, On 22–25 April, the European areas identified as requiring action. please visit: Commission held a workshop http://ec.europa.eu/commission_ on best practices for veterinary Commissioner Kuneva stressed the barroso/kuneva/speeches_en.htm checks in road and rail border need for engagement by all economic inspection posts (BIPs) in Vilnius, Lithuania. The training was Forum on global trade and farm animal welfare broadly targeted at competent Participants included representatives authority staff carrying out these of farmers, animal welfare organi- checks. sations, EU and third country gov- ernments, international institutions, Border controls play an essential retailers and academics. Experts from role in protecting public, animal all continents presented and discussed and plant health and this was the positive experiences of inclusion of first workshop to focus specifically animal welfare in the trade environ- on BIPs. It aimed to raise partici- ment. Through the exchange and pants’ awareness of best practices On 23 April, an international sharing of case studies, the forum’s for veterinary controls, ensuring forum was held in Brussels to aim was to prepare the ground for, high and consistent implementation discuss global aspects of farm and facilitate the adoption of, harmo- of standards across the EU. animal welfare. It was organised nised policies in this field worldwide. by the European Commission For further information, please visit: together with the Royal Society For further information, please visit: for the Prevention of Cruelty to http://ec.europa.eu/food/training_ Animals (RSPCA), Eurogroup for http://www.animalwelfareandtrade.com/ strategy/training/seaportborder_en.htm Animals and Compassion, and the http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/welfare/in- World Society for the Protection of ternational/index_en.htm Animals (WSPA).

2 Health & Consumer Voice

RAPEX annual report In brief

was hit hardest, with imports from Avian influenza: technical

EUROPEAN COMMISSION training seminar in Brussels European Commission China being a significant source of Enterprise publication recalls. Mrs Kuneva underlined the improvements that had been made to On 2 April, a technical training Keeping European Consumers Safe 2007 Annual Report the system, with Member States and seminar for Highly Pathogenic on the operation of the Rapid Alert System for non-food consumer products industry taking a more active role to Avian Influenza (HPAI) control RAPEX safeguard consumer safety. A stock- was held in Brussels. The event taking exercise on toy safety controls forms part of the DG Health and had yielded important results. Consumers’ ‘Better Training for Safer Food’ initiative. The RAPEX-China system has been instrumental in promoting the foun- Around 100 participants attended dation of a ‘market-surveillance’ from competent authorities of EU culture in China, yet a significant Member States and international number of sub-standard, non-compli- organisations fighting HPAI. The ant, unsafe consumer goods still reach seminar will be followed up by

DHP00127J_RAPEX_EN_080314.indd 1 14/03/08 19:02:16 Europe. The purpose of the stocktak- technical assistance missions to the On 17 April, European Commissioner ing exercise was to check every step countries which received training for Consumers, Meglena Kuneva, of the supply chain from design to the missions in 2006 and 2007 to assess presented the results of the annual shelves to see where improvements the impact of the work done and the RAPEX report (Rapid Alert System could be made. needs for the years to come. for Dangerous Consumer Goods). She noted that 2007 was a signi- Commissioner Kuneva stressed that For further information, please visit: ficant year for consumer product there would be no compromise on safety, commenting in particular safety and outlined the developments http://ec.europa.eu/food/training_ strategy/news/news3_2008_en.htm on the “summer of recalls” and its she expects to carry out in the course effect on consumer confidence and of 2008. on trade. Safe recycled plastics in food packaging: a Commission For further information, please visit: The report showed that the number of http://ec.europa.eu/commission_ Regulation goods taken off the market increased barroso/kuneva/speeches_en.htm by 53%, toys being the category that On 4 April, the European Com- mission adopted a Regulation to Food safety: Commission adopts new slaughtering regulation ensure the safety of food packaging made of recycled plastic. The On 22 April, the European Com- expected to have a positive impact on Regulation sets the criteria under mission adopted a Regulation to the competitiveness of farmers and which recycled plastic can be raise the age limit at which the meat industries, while still ensuring used for food packaging purposes vertebral column of slaughtered the highest standards of protection and also food manufacturing cattle must be removed, from 24 to for consumers. It also brings EU leg- machines and household ware. 30 months. The measure is based on islation in line with the international scientific advice from the European standards of the World Organisation Recycled materials should not release Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and for Animal Health (OIE). substances into food that may pose was set out in the TSE Roadmap risks to human health. The Regula- (Transmissible Spongiform En- tion serves the important purpose of cephalopathies) in 2005. harmonising national rules on this issue which were previously either Commissioner for Health, Androulla lacking or divergent. Vassiliou, noted that this decision was a logical reflection of the excellent For further information, please visit: progress Europe has made in the For further information, please visit: battle against BSE (bovine spongi- http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/chemical- form encephalopathy). The higher age http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/ safety/foodcontact/emerging_en.htm limit for vertebral column removal is dyna/press_room/index_en.cfm

3 The burden of cancer: joining forces in Europe Low Voltage Directive: improved safety to prevent and fight this disease for consumers

On 7 April, Commissioner for Health, Commissioner Vassiliou stressed Androulla Vassiliou, spoke at a the importance of screening and conference on cancer at the ‘Euro- early detection. Member States have pean Cancer Patient Coalition’, a much to gain by working together, summit for cancer patients across sharing knowledge and expertise. Europe. The fight against cancer is a There remain unacceptable inequali- top priority in the European Commu- ties in cancer control and care across nity and is one of the greatest health Europe. To combat this, the Commis- burdens in the EU. To deliver and sion launched several projects within On 21 April, the European Com- ensure the best level of health and the scope of its Health Programme, mission received the final reports well-being to citizens, Europe must to put in place comparable indica- of two joint actions aimed at join forces and work together in tors to monitor cancer and prevention enhancing the safety of consumer partnership. policies. electrical products: portable household lights and cord Every year 3.2 million Europeans are The Commissioner also emphasised extension sets. diagnosed with cancer, but the burden the importance of working in partner- of cancer is not spread equally across ship with patients and patient groups The actions were carried out over Europe. For example in the case of to better tailor cancer policies to the the last two years by EU Member cervical cancer the incidence is four patients’ real needs. States’ market surveillance authori- times higher in than in ties under the LVD ADCO (Low Finland. A lot can be done to prevent Voltage Directive Administra- many cancer cases. Some studies For further information, please visit: tive Cooperation) group. The first indicate that up to one-third of the http://ec.europa.eu/commission_ project looked at portable lamps cancer burden could be prevented. barroso/vassiliou/media_en.htm and investigated their safety. The focus on lighting was prompted by the high number of accidents and Curbing alcohol abuse in Europe injuries associated with the use of such appliances (50% according to RAPEX report figures). The second On 16 April, Health Commissioner, to serve as a common platform for all project focused on cord extension Androulla Vassiliou, spoke at the interested actors at European level. sets and found that 58% of the sets European Alcohol and Health Forum tested were sufficiently unsafe to in Brussels about the importance of The Commissioner noted that the justify a sales ban. curbing alcohol-related harm. Forum brings together organisations which in the past were less willing to For further information, please visit: The Commissioner quoted a figure cooperate. As a result, for example, http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/index_ of 7.4% of all ill-health and early we now see the alcohol and adver- en.htm death in the EU as being alcohol- tising industries sharing ideas with http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/citizen/ related, without including societal and health NGOs, youth organisations my_safety/danger_products_en.htm economic costs such as the negative and medical associations. impact on labour and productivity. Mrs Vassiliou praised the promising The European Alcohol and Health initiatives under the Forum while Forum was launched last year by acknowledging that actions would the previous Health Commissioner, take time before they come fully into The views expressed in Health & Consumer Voice do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the European Commission. . fruition. © European Community, 2008. Reproduction of articles (excluding photographs) is authorised, except for commercial purposes, provided that the source is mentioned. The Forum brings together influential Chief Editor: Eric Thévenard. players committed to reducing alco- For further information, please visit: Editors: Gaja Pellegrini-Bettoli, Paul Widger, in cooperation with the hol-related harm. Mrs Vassiliou noted http://ec.europa.eu/commission_ EC Health and Consumers DG. that the Forum is working in the right barroso/vassiliou/speeches_interviews_ Layout: Qwentes.be en.htm Email: [email protected] direction, attaining its first objective http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/index_en.htm

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