Council Conclusions of 26 November 1998 on the future framework for Community action in the field of public health
Date: 1998-11-26
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU action, EU programme, public health

15.12.98

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  390/1

I

(Information)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL  CONCLUSIONS

of  26  November  1998

on  the  future  framework  for  Community  action  in  the  field  of  public  health

(98/C  390/01)

for  Health,  meeting  within 

On  27  May  1993,  with  a  view  to  the  entry  into  force  of
the  Treaty  on  European  Union,  the  Council  and  the
the  Council,
Ministers 
adopted  a  resolution  on  future  action  in  the  field  of
public  health(cid:216)(˛),  in  which  they  called  on  the  Commission
to  submit  as  soon  as  possible  proposals  for  a  programme
of  action  in  the  field  of  public  health,  having  regard  to
the  guidelines  given  in  the  resolution  for  such  action.

into 

force  of 

the  entry 

Following 
the  Treaty  on
European  Union,  on  1  December  1993  the  Commission
submitted  a  communication  on  the  framework  for  action
in  the  field  of  public  health,  putting  forward  strategies,
priority  areas  and  measures  on  the  basis  of  Article  3o
and  Article  129  of  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European
Community.

In  its  resolution  of  2  June  1994  on  the  framework  for
Community  action  in  the  field  of  public  health(cid:216)(ˇ),  the
Council  agreed  that  priority  should  be  given  to  the
following  areas:  cancer,  drug  dependence,  AIDS  and
other  communicable  diseases,  and  health  promotion,
education  and  training,  as  well  as  disease  surveillance
and  the  collection  of  reliable  and  comparable  health
data.

in 

the 

the  Council, 

Furthermore, 
same  resolution,
outlined  more  general  considerations  and  guidelines  in
order  to  meet  the  objectives  of  Article  129  of  the  EC
Treaty  and  invited  the  Commission  to  submit  a  global
multiannual  programme  plan  of  existing  and  future
Community  actions.

It 
is  now  appropriate  to  examine  how  the  existing
framework  for  action  can  be  developed  in  order  both  to
give  further  consideration  to  the  more  general  and
long(cid:220)term  aspects  indicated  in  the  resolution  of  2  June
1994  and  to  respond  to  a  number  of  important  devel(cid:220)
opments  such  as  new  emerging  health 
threats  and
increasing  pressures  on  health  systems  as  well  as  the
enlargement  of  the  Community  and  the  new  public
health  provisions  in  the  Treaty  of  Amsterdam.  Moreover,
such  an  examination  is  particularly  urgent  as  most  of  the
existing  programmes  will  be  coming  to  an  end  in  or
about  the  year  2000  and  proposals  will  have  to  be  put
forward  in  the  near  future.

With  this  in  mind,  the  Commission,  with  its  communi(cid:220)
cation  of  15  April  1998  on  the  development  of  public
health  policy  in  the  European  Community,  launched  a
broad  debate  on  the  way  ahead  for  Communtiy  health
policy.

The  Council,  at  its  meeting  on  30  April  1998,  expressly
welcomed  that  communication  as  a  good  basis  for
further  discussions  and  is  taking  the  opportunity  offered
by 
the
Commission  should  take  into  account  in  future  proposals
for  specific  measures  to  be  submitted  as  soon  as  possible.

following  points,  which 

to  make 

the 

it 

1.(cid:217)Following  the  coming  into  force  of  the  Amsterdam
Treaty,  a  high  level  of  health  protection  has  to  be
ensured  in  the  definition  and  implementation  of  all
Community  policies  and  activities,  and  Community
action  in  the  field  of  public  health  has  to  be  directed
towards  improving  public  health,  preventing  human
illness  and  diseases  and  obviating  sources  of  danger
to  human  health.

The  Commission  then  submitted  to  the  Council  and  the
European  Parliament,  in  the  main  proposals  for  incentive
measures  in  the  areas  assigned  priority  by  the  Council,  as
well  as  in  the  areas  of  rare  diseases,  pollution(cid:220)related
diseases  and  injury  prevention.

2.(cid:217)In  the  framework  of  future  activities  in  the  field  of
public  health,  greater  emphasis  should  be  placed  on
Community  measures  designed  to  support  coop(cid:220)
eration  between  the  Member  States.

(˛)(cid:217)OJ  C  174,  25.6.1993,  p.  1.
(ˇ)(cid:217)OJ  C  165,  17.6.1994,  p.  1.

3.(cid:217)The  Community  should  take  action,  in  accordance
with  the  principle  of  subsidiarity,  only  if  activities
pursuant  to  the  aim  of  contributing  to  a  high  level  of
human  health  protection  can  better  be  undertaken  at

C  390/2

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

15.12.98

Community 
level  rather  than  by  Member  States
acting  alone,  and  in  full  respect  of  the  responsibilities
of  Member  States  for  the  organisation  and  delivery
of  health  services  and  medical  care.

4.(cid:217)Integration  of  health  protection  requirements  into
other  Community  policies,  as  required  under  the  EC
Treaty,  forms  part  of  the  overall  strategy  and  has  to
be  taken  into  account  at  each  stage  of  the  implemen(cid:220)
tation  of  the  future  public  health  strategy.

5.(cid:217)The  greatest  benefits  for  the  health  of  citizens  of  the
to  be  achieved  by

European  Union  are 
focusing  Community  action  on  the  following  areas:

likely 

-(cid:217)tackling  major 
communicable, 
diseases,

health 

rare 

and 

scourges, 

including
pollution(cid:220)related

-(cid:217)reducing  mortality  and  morbidity  related 
general 
living  conditions  and 
regard  to  both  physical  and  mental  aspects,

to
lifestyles,  with

-(cid:217)fostering  equality  in  health  across  the  European

Union.

in 

should 

The  methodology  for  the  selection  of  priorities  for
action 
in
the  aforementioned  areas 
particular  take  into  account  the  following  criteria:
health(cid:220)related  criteria  (such  as  mortality,  morbidity
and  risk  factors,  including  socioeconomic  differences
in  health),  implemental  criteria  (such  as  availability
of  effective  methods  and  measures  of  prevention,  or
potential  for  their  development),  Community(cid:220)related
criteria  (such  as  added  value)  and  criteria  established
by  international  organisations  in  the  health  field,  in
particular  the  WHO.

incentive  measures,  recommen(cid:220)
A  combination  of 
dations  and  binding 
those  areas
identified  by  the  Amsterdam  Treaty  should  be  used
with  a  view  to  enhancing  efficiency  of  Community
action  in  the  abovementioned  areas.

instruments 

in 

6.(cid:217)Actions  at  Community  level  should  comprise  three

main  strands:

-(cid:217)reacting  rapidly  to  threats  to  health,  by  the
creation  of  a  Community  surveillance,  early
warning,  and  rapid  reaction  capability,

-(cid:217)tackling  health  determinants 

through  health
promotion  and  disease  prevention,  both  through
broad  health  promotion  activities  and  by  specific
disease  prevention  actions,  underpinned  by  inter(cid:220)
sectoral  action  and  the  use  of  instruments  offered
by  the  EC  Treaty,  not  only  in  the  health  field  but
also  in  other  sectors.

7.(cid:217)These  future  Community  actions  should  be  set  out  in
one  overall  public  health  programme  to  be  estab(cid:220)
lished  by  a  Decision  based  on  Article  129  of  the  EC
Treaty.

8.(cid:217)The  public  health  programme  should  allow  for:

-(cid:217)the  development  of  new  ways  of  assessing  the

health  impact  of  Community  action,

-(cid:217)cooperation  with 

in
the  health  field,  in  particular  with  the  WHO,  and
third  countries,

international  organisations 

-(cid:217)account  to  be  taken  in  an  appropriate  way  of  the
necessities  arising  from  the  enlargement  process.

9.(cid:217)The  public  health  programme  should  provide  for  the
funding  of  all  Community  activities  in  the  field  of
public  health,  including  the  necessary  preparatory
work  for  the  development  of  legislative  proposals  for
health(cid:220)related  Community  action.  Existing  activities
in
are 
their
appropriate 
continuation  has  been  assessed.

in  the  public  health  programme 

the  potential 

form  once 

included 

for 

10.(cid:217)The  public  health  programme  should  be  established

for  a  period  of  at  least  five  years.

11.(cid:217)The 

the 

public 

decision 

establishing 

health
programme  should  provide  for  regular  reports  on,
and  evaluation  of,  measures  with  a  view  to  achieving
its  objective.  Reports  should  be  placed  before  the
European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  Economic
and  Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the
Regions.

-(cid:217)improving  information  for  the  development  of
public  health  by  developing  a  structured  and
comprehensive  Community  system  for  collecting,
analysing  and  disseminating  information,

12.(cid:217)In  implementing  the  public  health  programme,  the
Commission  should  be  assisted  by  a  committee
composed  of  representatives  designated  by  Member
States.