The Commission of the EU needs to tackle non-communicable diseases
The Commission of the EU needs to tackle non-communicable diseases
The Commission’s aims for better regulation of Europe’s economy go hand in hand with an improvement of the overall health of the European workforce, write Claudiu Ciprian Tănăsescu and Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar.
Claudiu Ciprian Tănăsescu is a Romanian MEP (Partidul Social Democrat) and Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar MEP is a Portuguese lawmaker (Partido Social Democrata).
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the true silent killer of our time, responsible for 60% of global deaths. This number is so staggeringly high that all adult Europeans either know someone that is suffering from, or has died as a victim of, an NCD.
NCDs are not passed from person to person. They are of long duration and generally slow progression. The four main types of non-communicable diseases are cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. A good example of the burden caused by these diseases is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which affects 15-20% of the European adult population over 40 years and causes over 300,000 deaths in Europe every year.
There have been a number of positive developments in the EU since the 2011 UN Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, which our European Parliament endorsed.
Examples of these are the ongoing implementation of the Tobacco Products Directive, the new proposal on the National Emissions Ceilings Directive, the investment of €8 billion for health research under Horizon 2020, and the establishment of the Scientific Panel for Health, which will have its first meeting on 21 January 2016.
Yet, more can and should be done. The practice of regular physical activity for example, is an important pillar for a healthy lifestyle. Its physical and psychological benefits for both healthy individuals and those already suffering from chronic conditions are widely known.
Recognising its importance, the European Respiratory Society and European Lung Foundation make physical activity the theme of their annual Healthy Lungs for Life campaign, to encourage members of the public to take the active option for better lung health.
In addition, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Regional office for Europe has recently launched its Physical activity strategy for the WHO European Region 2016 – 2025, which in WHO’s own words, aims “to inspire governments and stakeholders to work towards increasing the level of physical activity among all citizens of the European Region”.
We hope the European Commission will join the ERS/ELF and WHO in this call for action, and bring forward meaningful measures in this area.
The Commission must also give more support to the implementation of existing legislation, such as the Directive on patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare. Such an approach is in line with the Commission’s aims for better regulation and strengthening of Europe’s economy through an improvement of the overall health of the European workforce and society in general.
Read the rest of the opinion HERE (EurActive)
Pin It
