EU News
Hearing on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Europe
09 February 2006
DSW attended a Hearing on SRHR in Europe organized by ASTRA & the Polish Delegation in the Socialist Group in the European Parliament. Many MEPs and Representatives of the ASTRA network (e.g. Christina Zampas from the Center for Reproductive Rights who introduced the new ASTRA report to the EU) discussed the importance of addressing SRHR not only as an Health Issue but multi-sectorial (e.g. as a Human Right) and the necessity of the legalization of abortions. Actual examples from ASTRA Members, e.g. from Lithuania, Armenia, Latvia, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, were highlighted as well. For more information on the event please see: http://www.astra.org.pl/news.php?id=14; To download the recent ASTRA report to the EU: http://www.astra.org.pl/srhrEU.pdf.
EU governments to fight violence against women
26 January 2006
Governments across the European Union aim to hammer out common legislation to fight "tradition-based" violence against women, including forced marriages, genital mutilation, and so-called honor-killings, a leading EU official said recently. On 2 February, MEPs adopted an own-initiative report asking for “zero tolerance to all forms of violence against women” and proposing EU measures to raise awareness. Further information.
Budgetary Control
02 February 2006
Commissioner Siim Kallas launched a plan to ensure regularity and reliability of payments made from the EU budget. Weblink.
Health & Consumer Protection Programme kept separate
30 January 2006
The Commission's proposal in August 2005 to merge Health & Consumer Protection Programmes 2007–2013 has been rejected because MEPs want the two projects to be kept separate. More information.
Commission launches Information Project “Health in Europe”
02 February 2006
The Health Information System, launched by Commissioner Markos Kyprianou & co-financed with €1.4 million from the EU Public Health Programme, is managed by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to disseminate health information to citizens. Learn more about this multimedia initiative.
European Voice Reports
“Healthy debate is needed to tackle Europe's ills” Volume 12 Number 3
Anna Zaborska, chairwomen of the Parliament's Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee, writes of the situation of Roma women, who are less likely to have access to preventive sexual and reproductive health information and care. A number of attitudes and practices among the Roma are specifically detrimental to women's SRH.
“Legal spat over Africa aid funds” Volume 12 Number 4
The European Commission faces legal action by EU governments for diverting funds earmarked for development aid in Africa to military purposes.
Source: European Voice http://www.europeanvoice.com/notloggedin.asp. These articles are not available online without a subscription. If you would like a copy of article, please let us know, and we'll fax it to you.
Final Report “Open Health Forum 2005”
The final report of 3 parallel sessions at the EU Open Health Forum in November 2005 can be found here.
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