Doc. 8100

4 May 1998

Health security for Europe’s populations

Motion for a recommendation

presented by Mr Mattéi and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

1.       The Assembly recalls that the right to protection of health is one of the fundamental social rights enshrined in the Council of Europe Social Charter and that according to the Bioethics Convention, compliance with the rules of health security is one of the ethical foundations of our societies.

2.       It observes that the movement of goods and products is commanded primarily by the rules of the market and world trade, and that in Europe health protection does not come within the remit of the European Union.

3.       It stresses that where therapeutic substances are concerned, a number of countries have been confronted with serious health problems, the most significant being contamination of blood products by the AIDS and Hepatitis C viruses and Creutzfeld-Jakob's disease.

4.       As to food products, the recent mad cow crisis, meat containing hormones and the advent of transgenic foods raise questions about the linkage of food and health in the pursuit of medical, scientific and agricultural policies.

5.       In addition, air pollution, particularly from industry and vehicle exhausts, groundwater pollution through application of chemicals and use of products hazardous to health such as asbestos, all demonstrate the need for health concerns to be made part of environmental management.

6.       The Assembly accordingly requests that the Committee of Ministers invite member countries to take definite measures to safeguard public health in all areas of potential danger.

7.       The Assembly recommends, furthermore, that the Committee of Ministers set up within the Council of Europe a European "health watch" system whose functions would include:

i.       detecting or anticipating all health risks, tracing them to their causes, and recommending suitable strategies ;

ii.       inventorying the health policies of member countries (European Union member states included) and the measures applied ;

iii.       laying down common rules to guarantee health standards in keeping with the citizens' good health through a European Health Security Agency operating in the medical, food, and environmental fields ;

iv.       consolidating all work already conducted within the Council of Europe with regard to health security ;

v.       periodically arranging conferences at which the nature of the problems, the assessment of current measures and the required responses may be jointly determined by consensus.

Signed¹:

Mattéi, France, LDR

Belohorska, Slovakia, EDG

Cox, United Kingdom, SOC

Dees, Netherlands, LDR

Dhaille, France, SOC

Evin, France, SOC

Flynn, United Kingdom, SOC

Gregory, Ireland, SOC

Martelli, Italy, EDG

Pulgar, Spain, EPP/CD

Valkeniers, Belgium, LDR

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group