20061223

P6_TA(2006)0549

Prevention of injury and promotion of safety *

European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a Council recommendation on the prevention of injury and the promotion of safety (COM(2006)0329 — C6-0238/2006 — 2006/0106(CNS))

(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council (COM(2006)0329) [1],

- having regard to Article 152(4), second subparagraph, of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C6-0238/2006),

- having regard to Rule 51 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the opinion of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (A6-0398/2006);

1. Approves the Commission proposal as amended;

2. Calls on the Commission to alter its proposal accordingly, pursuant to Article 250(2) of the EC Treaty;

3. Calls on the Council to notify Parliament if it intends to depart from the text approved by Parliament;

4. Asks the Council to consult Parliament again if it intends to amend the Commission proposal substantially;

5. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and Commission.

Amendment 1

Recital 2 a (new)

(2a) People over 65 years of age represent 16 % of the total population in the EU, but suffer a disproportionate 40 % of fatal injuries; thus the elderly run more than double the risk of encountering a fatal accident, and long bone fractures are the main cause of hospitalisation among the elderly.

Amendment 2

Recital 5 a (new)

(5a) Public health is affected by biological differences, the environment, access to information and socio-economic conditions.

Amendment 3

Recital 5 b (new)

(5b) The gender perspective should be incorporated into all areas, including health policies. Steps should be taken to carry out gender-based quantitative studies and to allocate resources by applying the principle of gender-based budgetisation.

Amendment 4

Recital 5 c (new)

(5c) Domestic violence against women is the main cause of death and invalidity among women between the ages of 16 and 44.

Amendment 5

Recital 6

(6) The risk of an injury is unequally distributed in Member States as well as in social groups. The risk of dying from an injury is five times greater in the Member State with the highest injury rate than in that with the lowest rate.

(6) The risk of an injury is unequally distributed in Member States and varies according to environmental, working and social conditions, age and gender. The risk of dying from an injury is five times greater in the Member State with the highest injury rate than in that with the lowest rate.

Amendment 6

Recital 7

(7) In contrast to many other causes of illness or premature death, injuries can be prevented by making our living environment, as well as products and services we use safer. There is ample evidence of proven effectiveness in accident measures that are still not widely applied throughout the Community.

(7) In contrast to many other causes of illness or premature death, injuries can be prevented by making our living environment, as well as products and services we use, safer and by raising public awareness of the consequences of unsafe behaviour. Adopting a broader public health approach can also significantly reduce the toll of injuries and violence. There is ample evidence of proven effectiveness in accident measures that are still not widely applied throughout the Community.

Amendment 7

Recital 8

(8) Most of these measures have been proven cost-effective, because the benefits of prevention for health systems often exceed by a factor of several times the costs of intervention.

(8) Most of these measures have been proven cost-effective, in preserving the integrity and the lives of human beings, because the benefits of prevention for both the private and the public sector, especially for health systems, often exceed by a factor of several times the costs of intervention. Beyond healthcare and economic costs, the human cost and the real cost paid by society should not be underestimated, as economic and healthcare costs do not cover the repercussions on victims' families and social support networks, or on communities, workplaces and schools.

Amendment 8

Recital 9

(9) In spite of the fact that major advances have been made in a number of areas of safety concern like traffic or the workplace, there are other areas which are far less covered like home, leisure and sport, accidents, and prevention for children and elderly citizens.

(9) In spite of the fact that major advances have been made in a number of areas of safety concern like traffic or the workplace, there are other areas which are far less covered like home, leisure and sport, accidents, and prevention for children, women and elderly citizens.

Amendment 9

Recital 9 a (new)

(9a) In spite of recent studies, injuries resulting from domestic violence are still underrated as regards both the physical and psychological damage caused and the financial burden placed on health and welfare systems.

Amendment 10

Recital 9 b (new)

(9b) Consideration should be given to the correlation between the availability and consumption of alcohol and drugs and the prevalence of injuries arising from acts of violence or accidents, and in particular road-traffic accidents.

Amendment 11

Recital 10

(10) It seems therefore necessary to develop a system of injury surveillance and reporting which could ensure a coordinated approach across Member States to develop and establish national policies on prevention of injuries, including exchange of best practice. Such a system will be developed under Decision No 1786/2002/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September 2002 adopting a programme of Community action in the field of public health (2003-2008) and any successor programmes, and will be built on the basis of national injury surveillance and reporting systems to be developed in a coherent and harmonized manner.

(10) It seems therefore necessary to develop a system of injury surveillance and reporting which could ensure a coordinated approach across Member States to develop and establish national policies on prevention of injuries and on promotion of safety, including exchange of best practice. Such a system will be built on the basis of national injury surveillance and reporting systems to be developed in a coherent and harmonized manner.

Amendment 12

Recital 10 a (new)

(10a) The system of injury surveillance should incorporate the existing programmes on injuries and the injury databases and networks which have already been extensively funded by the Commission. This action is absolutely necessary in order to achieve synergies and to reduce costs by using the mechanisms already in operation.

Amendment 13

Recital 10 b (new)

(10b) If the existing injury surveillance and monitoring systems prove to be unaffordable for some Member States, an alternative system should be used, for example one relying on more readily available Minimum Data Sets based on hospital statistics.

Amendment 14

Recital 10 c (new)

(10c) To ensure that best practices are indeed serving the needs and capacities of each and every country, institution building and human resource development as well as research should be supported, particularly in those countries with the largest share of preventable injuries.

Amendment 15

Recital 11

(11) In order to streamline the resources of the Community Public Health Programme and to tackle injury prevention most effectively seven priority areas have been identified: safety of children and adolescents, safety of elderly citizens, safety of vulnerable road users, prevention of sports injuries, prevention of injuries caused by products and services, prevention of self harm and prevention of violence. These priority areas have been determined by taking account of the social impact of injuries in terms of the number and severity, the evidence regarding the effectiveness of intervention actions and the feasibility of successful implementation in the Member States.

(11) In order to tackle injury prevention most effectively eight priority areas have been identified: safety of children and adolescents, safety of elderly citizens, safety of road users, in particular those who are vulnerable, injury prevention and safety at the workplace, prevention of sports and leisure injuries, prevention of injuries caused by products and services, prevention of self harm and prevention of violence, particularly violence against women and children. These priority areas have been determined by taking account of the social impact of injuries in terms of the number and severity, the evidence regarding the effectiveness of intervention actions and the feasibility of successful implementation in the Member States.

Amendment 16

Recommendation to Member States, point 1

(1) Develop a national injury surveillance and reporting system, which provides comparable information, monitors the evolution of injury risks and the effects of prevention measures over time and assesses the needs for introducing additional initiatives on product and service safety;

(1) Develop a national injury surveillance and reporting system that accesses other relevant databases, which provides comparable information and a data breakdown by gender and age, monitors the evolution of injury risks by focussing on injury determinants, monitors the effects of prevention measures over time and assesses the needs for introducing additional initiatives, firstly on product and service safety and, secondly, on raising public awareness, paying particular attention to vulnerable groups such as the young;

(1a) Develop multisectoral cooperation, involving and strengthening partnerships with stakeholders at local, national and international level and providing coordination and an integrated response to injury and insecurity;

Amendment 17

Recommendation to Member States, point 2

(2) Set up national plans for preventing accidents and injuries initiating interdepartmental co-operation and increasing funding opportunities for campaigning actions, promoting safety and implementing such national plans into practice, with a particular attention to children, elderly people and vulnerable road users, and with special regard to sports injuries, injuries caused by products and services, violence and self-harm.

(2) Set up national plans for preventing accidents and injuries initiating interdepartmental co-operation as well as collaboration with stakeholders, increasing funding opportunities for campaigning actions, setting incentives for the promotion of safety and implementing such national plans into practice, with a particular attention to high risk groups such as children, elderly people, the disabled, women and road users, and with special regard to sports and leisure injuries, injuries caused by female genital mutilation, injuries caused by products and services, violence, especially domestic violence against women and children, and self-harm.

Amendment 18

Recommendation to Member States, point 2 a (new)

(2a) Carry out scientific studies, particularly on self-harm and risk taking behaviour.

Amendment 19

Recommendation to Member States, point 2 b (new)

(2b) Pay particular attention to the social determinants that provoke injuries and insecurity: the biggest difference in injury, mortality and morbidity rates is between poorer and wealthier countries, and between social classes within countries. The gap is growing, due to factors such as increased road traffic, worsening inequalities in terms of income, higher unemployment, decreasing social support, market liberalisation and increased availability of alcohol, and poor regulatory and enforcement mechanisms. The unemployed, ethnic minority groups, migrant workers, refugees, and disabled and homeless people are particularly at risk;

Amendment 20

Recommendation to Member States, point 2 c (new)

(2c) Take measures so that databases on good practice in injury prevention are based on sound data taking into account local circumstances, and are supported by research that indicates the specific social, economic, infrastructural and cultural circumstances within which successful policies are implemented;

Amendment 21

Recommendation to Member States, point 3

(3) Ensure that injury prevention and safety promotion is introduced in a systematic way in vocational training of health care professionals, so that these groups can serve as competent advisors to their patients, clients and to the public.

(3) Ensure that injury prevention and safety promotion is introduced in a systematic way by improving education and vocational training of health care and other professionals, so that these groups can serve as competent advisors to their patients, clients and to the public. Raise public awareness on causes and consequences by highlighting the responsibilities of both individuals and society as regards the prevention of injuries and the promotion of safety.

Amendment 22

Recommendation to Member States, point 3 a (new)

(3a) Ensure that insurance companies that have access to injury data provide all relevant data to the Member States in order to facilitate the definition of the mechanisms and places where accidents most frequently occur and use this information to improve prevention.

Amendment 23

Recommendation to the Commission, point 1

(1) Support and give priority, within the framework of the Community Public Health Programme and successor programmes, to establish a Community-wide injury surveillance system collecting injury data provided by the Member States on the basis of their national injury surveillance systems and make the information contained in the database easily accessible to all stakeholders;

(1) Support and give priority to the establishment of a Community-wide injury surveillance system collecting injury data provided by the Member States on the basis of their national injury surveillance systems and make the information contained in the database easily accessible to all stakeholders;

Amendment 24

Recommendation to the Commission, point 1 a (new)

(1a) Submit a legislative proposal for the establishment of a Community-wide injury surveillance system, for the exchange of information on good practice and for the dissemination of information, as referred to in point 1, to the European Parliament and the Council in accordance with Article 251 of the Treaty, including precise details of financial implications;

Amendment 25

Recommendation to the Commission, point 2

(2) Establish a Community-wide mechanism for the exchange of information on good practice and disseminate this information to relevant stakeholders;

Amendment 26

Recommendation to the Commission, point 3 a (new)

(3a) Support through the Cohesion and Structural Funds actions covering injury prevention and better and safer infrastructure;

Amendment 27

Recommendation to the Commission, point 4

(4) Support the development of good practice and policy actions in relation to the seven identified priority areas using the resources provided for in the Community Public Health Programme and successor programmes the general framework for financing Community actions in support of consumer policy and the Framework Programme for Research;

(4) Develop good practice and policy actions in relation to the eight identified priority areas; to ensure that all future programmes on the prevention of injury and the promotion of safety take into account health inequalities, bearing in mind that lack of access to social support, poor community cohesion and social exclusion reduce people's capacity to withstand social conflict without resorting to violence, including self-harm;

Amendment 28

Recommendation to the Commission, point 5

(5) Carry out an evaluation report four years after the adoption of this Recommendation to determine whether the measures proposed are working effectively and to assess the need for further actions.

(5) Carry out an evaluation report four years after the adoption of this Recommendation to determine whether the measures proposed are working effectively, to assess the need for further actions and to conduct a gender impact assessment of existing and future measures and actions.

[1] Not yet published in OJ.

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