Health-EU

National Contact Points geared up to answer cross-border healthcare questions

by Xavier Prats Monné, Director-General of DG Health and Food Safety, European Commission

The ultimate goal of the Cross-border Healthcare Directive is to provide all EU citizens with equal access to quality healthcare, responding to their specific needs. Whether that means seeking a second opinion in another Member State or taking a child with a rare disease to a specialist on the other side of the EU, people need the reassurance that they will receive the best care possible and that they will not be left to shoulder the financial burden alone.

One of the important challenges ahead of us, confirmed also in a recent Eurobarometer survey, is to ensure that patients are informed about the opti [...]

In this edition

Read the full focus of this edition  »

Also in this focus

Health Programme Projects »

PARENT - Cross-Border Patient Registries Initiative

HEALTHACCESS - Mapping Health Services Access: National and Cross-border Issues

EUREGIO II - Solutions for improving health care cooperation in border regions

News from the EU 

The EU vows to aim for target of ending AIDS by 2030  »

On 30 November, 2015, the eve of World AIDS Day, Vice-President of the Commission, Federica Mogherini and several Commissioners issued a joint statement expressing their commitment to maintaining momentum in the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

Call for proposals to improve European digital services, including e-health  »

Through Connecting Europe Facility, €17 million in funding is available to improve European digital services, including e-health.

Examining new ways to encourage physical activity to combat rising rate of obesity  »

The importance of regular physical activity in fighting obesity was discussed by Member States (High Level Group on Nutrition and Physical Activity) and civil society (EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health) in meetings on 2 and 3 December 2015 in Luxembourg.

New EuroFIT project uses football to tackle health issues  »

The goal of this EU-funded project is to harness the ‘love of the game’ to engage football fans in health-promoting lifestyle changes through their loyalty and attachment to their clubs.

EU Health Award for NGOs 

BØRNEfonden  »

Fighting Ebola effectively through an integrated community approach

CAP Anamur  »

Ebola admission and isolation ward, observation interim care centre and hygienic measures in slums of Freetown

 More information on the Award

Forthcoming events 

Workshop on synthetic biology (Luxembourg, 10 December 2015)  »

Presentation of project results for "My healthy family" and "We love eating" (Brussels, 16 December 2015)  »

New publications 

The European Network of Homeless Health Workers (ENHW) newsletter  »

FEANTSA publishes the ENHW newsletter twice a year, touching on issues that impact the health of homeless people, including public health policies. The new edition, for example, features articles on health inequalities, drug interventions, and hospital discharge policies of homeless patients.

New Eurostat flagship publication - People in the EU  »

This new Eurostat publication provides a uniquely rich snapshot of the EU population. Demographic change, together with migration, globalisation and climate change, is recognised as one of the most significant challenges the EU is currently facing.

Reporting from across Europe 

New ambition to halve rate of stillbirths and infant deaths  [United Kingdom]  »

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced a new ambition to reduce the rate of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths in England by 50% by 2030.

New Strategy for Autism Spectrum Disorders approved  [Spain]  »

One of the main objectives is to improve the early diagnosis of children with ASD, but the Minister of Health underlined the importance of acting at all stages of life to improve the quality of life for all people with autism.