The Year of Air 2013 To kick-start a new phase of policy-making in the field of air regulation in Europe, the European Commission has declared 2013 the ‘Year of Air’, to highlight the importance of clean air for all and to focus on actions to improve air quality across the EU. It has promised new legislative proposals on improving air quality, and is already collaborating with the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe to analyse

EFA ‘Meet & Greet the EU Institutions’ training session to be held in April Greetings from EFA Board, who had their last meeting on the 23rd January, finalising plans for EFA’s AGM and Network meeting on the 31st of May-1st of June 2013 in Rome. EFA is happy to announce it will hold another ‘Meet and Greet the EU Institutions’ training session for members in the week of the 22nd of April this year. During this training, EFA members

On the 20th of February from 18.00 to 20.30, MEP Catherine Stihler will host an event in the European Parliament in Brussels to present the results of the HealthVent project. The project, which began in 2010, has developed health-based ventilation guidelines to help protect people in places like schools, nurseries, offices and homes against the health problems caused by poor indoor air quality (IAQ), and to encourage energy to be used efficiently.

EFA briefing on the 2013 Work Plan for implementing the second EU Health Programme (2008-2013) is now available!

Council Conclusion​s on healthy ageing across the lifecycle At the European Union’s EPSCO Council meeting (Employment, social policy, health and consumer affairs) on the 7th of December 2012, European health ministers adopted Council conclusions on Healthy Ageing across the Lifecycle. The conclusions build on a September 2012 conference on the topic and call for efforts to foster health promotion, disease prevention and early diagnosis. They

Welcome to our holiday edition, including special seasonal advice from across Europe for people with allergy & respiratory diseases and a special report from our first pilot training on ‘how to do a national disease specific programme.’  The EFA board and staff send their warmest holiday wishes to all members, partners, funding partners, colleagues, policy makers and patients all over Europe. Thank you sincerely for your support & vision

EFA is currently looking for a Brussels-based policy and project Intern to begin in 2013. The candidate will support the work of three other staff members and have the opportunity to gain valuable experience of NGO work, take responsibility for specific issues according to ability and interest and represent people with allergy, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at European level. Candidates should have an interest in health

EPHA conference on children’s health and well-being On the 4th of December the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) held a seminar at the European Parliament “From rhetoric to action – Tackling child poverty and promoting children’s health and well-being in the EU.” EFA was represented by Roberta Savli, EU Policy and Project Officer. Several policy makers discussed the topic from a multi-sectoral point of view, acknowledging the need

Further reports of problems with ANAPEN injectors Having first heard reports of potential problems with ANAPEN injectors in the UK last May, EFA has received news of further concerns, this time from France. EFA’s French member, Association Française pour la Prévention des Allergies (AFPRAL), has said the French drugs agency, Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé (ANSM), has received reports of defects in the

Take Care This Christmas! It’s easy to chill out and relax at Christmas and be a little less careful about your allergies. So remember these simple steps to help keep you safe. Tell those around you of your allergies, which is especially important if you are with new friends or family that may not be aware. Remember to keep your medications, such as adrenaline, antihistamines or inhalers, with you at all times.  Don’t tempt fate – check all

EFA publishes report on Finnish Allergy Programme educational meeting in Helsinki During the Finnish Allergy Programme educational meeting in Helsinki, many useful and sometimes surprising lessons were learned about the best ways to raise awareness of a cause and take action when the way forward (and sources of funding!) may not necessarily be clear. The report details how EFA delegations from Italy (Tuscany), Norway and Bulgaria – all of which

Just before the Christmas break, the European Commission has finally released the long-awaited revision of the tobacco products directive. More than ten years have passed since the adoption of the current directive. During this time, there have been several market, scientific and international developments in the tobacco sector and the existing rules present a number of weaknesses, gaps and loopholes. Therefore, it has become necessary to update