COUNCIL RESOLUTION of 2 June 1994 on cardio-vascular diseases (94/C 165/02)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Whereas on 3 December 1990 the Council and the Ministers for Health, meeting within the Council, adopted conclusions (1) concerning cardio-vascular diseases in the European Community;

Whereas on 19 November 1993 the European Parliament adopted a resolution on public health policy after Maastricht;

Whereas on 1 December 1993 the Commission forwarded to the Council a communication on the framework for action in the field of public health, taking account of the amendments made to the EC Treaty by the Treaty on European Union, in particular Article 3 (o) and Article 129, which contain explicit provisions on public health;

Whereas cardio-vascular diseases are one of the major causes of premature death;

Whereas these diseases have an important bearing on the quality of life in the Union and significant socio-economic implications for Member States;

Whereas it is possible to forestall these diseases by acting on the factors which cause them, mainly by implementing preventive measures, particularly with respect to diet, encouraging physical exercise, reducing obesity, monitoring blood pressure, improving working conditions, combating smoking, and educating and informing the population;

Whereas further investigation and combating of the risk factors for cardio-vascular diseases could make a substantial contribution to dealing with them;

Whereas as regards the necessary health-protection measures, cardio-vascular diseases have many features in common with the measures included in the Community's initiatives - particularly the 'Europe against cancer' programme - but also particular characteristics of which suitable account needs to be taken,

RECOGNIZES that prevention, investigation and combating of the causes of cardio-vascular diseases constitute a priority in efforts to achieve the goal of promoting health and securing a high level of health protection;

AGREES that in developing cooperation and coordination of Member States' efforts and Community action to prevent diseases in accordance with the powers conferred upon the Community by the Treaty and in an overall public health context, it is necessary to examine and indicate:

- ways of developing Community action to reduce morbidity and mortality from cardio-vascular diseases and in particular to develop or coordinate measures to combat risk factors and strengthen protective factors, and exploit the potential of other Community policies, in particular through research,

- ways of developing cooperation and coordination mechanisms for Member States' policies and programmes, in particular the collection of comparable data and indices on cardio-vascular diseases in the Member States, taking full account of the data available at national and international level, inter alia of the 'Monica' registers of the World Health Organization,

- ways of developing special health education and information programmes for the public, and in particular information for population groups which are particularly vulnerable to the risk factors for cardio-vascular diseases,

- in connection with existing or planned Community health information and training programmes, ways of improving the knowledge and qualifications of professionals in the field of health and other related fields with regard to the prevention of cardio-vascular diseases, and

- incentive measures based on the above guidelines, taking account of the experience acquired, in particular in the context of the 'Europe against cancer' programme.

INVITES the Commission:

- to examine, in the overall context of Community action in the field of public health, incentive measures for the prevention of cardio-vascular diseases and further investigation into the risk factors for these diseases, taking into account the above guidelines, and

- to take, in close contact with the Member States, any useful initiative to promote the coordination of their policies and programmes in this area.

(1) OJ No C 329, 31. 12. 1990, p. 19.