European Union Public Health Policy

There is no European Union health system but there is an EU health policy. The EU affects the health of its citizens, the health of people around the world, and the operation and finance of its Member States' healthcare systems in many ways, mostly for the better, and often in ways that are poorly understood. This book, a completely revised second edition of our previous volume on the subject, maps out the nature of EU health policies, their logic and reason for being, and their potential to affect the health of Europeans for the better. It is written in the belief that understanding the breadth and diversity of EU health policies, and the distinctive institutional structure that explains them, will improve our collective abilities to make policy for health in any sphere, from food to healthcare services and from occupational safety to international trade. Above all, we hope that this book makes it impossible to deny the scale and often indirect and positive impact of EU health policy. EU health policies extend far beyond the Public Health Article 168, from the environmental, social policy and consumer protection policies discussed alongside it in chapter 3, to the extensive internal market laws that have made so much beneficial EU regulatory policy, discussed in chapter 4, to the ambitious fiscal governance agenda discussed in chapter 5, which has increasingly developed a health focus. Across a broad sweep of policies from RescEU's civil protection to the regulation of pharmacies, the EU is omnipresent in health and health policy. It should be understood as such. The question is not whether we want an EU health policy, for EU health policy is inevitable. It is how it should be made and for what ends.

People have always travelled within Europe for work and leisure, although never before with the current intensity. Now, however, they are travelling for many other reasons, including the quest for key services such as health care. Whatever the reason for travelling, one question they ask is "If I fall ill, will the health care I receive be of a high standard?" This book examines, for the first time, the systems that have been put in place in all of the European Union's 27 Member States. The picture it paints is mixed. Some have well developed systems, setting standards based on the best available evidence, monitoring the care provided, and taking action where it falls short. Others need to overcome significant obstacles.

Ranging from influence over world trade laws affecting health to population health issues such as obesity to the use of comparative data to affect policy, the EU's public health policies are increasingly important, visible, expensive and effective. They also provide an invaluable case study for those who want to understand the growth and impact of the EU as well as how states can affect their populations' lives and health. European Union Public Health Policy capitalizes on extensive new research, providing an introduction to the topic and indicating new intellectual directions surrounding the topic. An introductory section and extended conclusion explore the meaning of public health, the relationship of EU public health policy to health care policy, and the place of public health in the study of European integration and Europeanization. Focusing on health system transformation, global health governance and population health, the chapters address: Relevant policy issues and EU policies; Effects of the EU policies on practice or outcomes; An explanation of the policy trajectory; Current issues and likely future directions or conflicts. Drawing together an international and multidisciplinary selection of experts, this volume is an important contribution for all those interested in public health policy, EU health policy and EU governance.

First published in 1999, this volume recognises that the role and status of public health in Europe has again become increasingly recognized and features contributions on various nations within the European Community. This is not only in individual countries but also in the policies of the European Union as exemplified in the Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties. This book is a critical account of the present structures and policies of member countries and how policies have evolved within the European Commission. It describes both possible models and needs and contrasts these with the current legislative framework. It thus serves the needs of both practitioners, policy makers, policy analysts and students interested in public health and social policy developments.

While there may be consensus on the broader issues of the core objectives of the health care system, expectations differ between EU countries, and European national policy-makers. This book seeks firstly to assess the impact of the enlargement process and then to analyse the challenges that lie ahead in the field of health and health policy.

The sixteenth edition of Social policy in the European Union: state of play has a triple ambition. First, it provides easily accessible information to a wide audience about recent developments in both EU and domestic social policymaking. Second, the volume provides a more analytical reading, embedding the key developments of the year 2014 in the most recent academic discourses. Third, the forward-looking perspective of the book aims to provide stakeholders and policymakers with specific tools that allow them to discern new opportunities to influence policymaking. In this 2015 edition of Social policy in the European Union: state of play, the authors tackle the topics of the state of EU politics after the parliamentary elections, the socialisation of the European Semester, methods of political protest, the Juncker investment plan, the EU’s contradictory education investment, the EU’s contested influence on national healthcare reforms, and the neoliberal Trojan Horse of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

· What are the implications of the different levels of health in an enlarged EU? · Will free movement of goods, services and people within an enlarged EU be good for health and health care? · What have we learned from past enlargements? European national policy-makers broadly agree on the core objectives that their health care system should pursue. The list is straightforward: universal access for all citizens, effective care for better health outcomes, efficient use of resources, and high quality services responsive to patient’s concerns. It is a formula that resonates across the political spectrum and which, in various, sometimes inventive configurations, has played a role in most recent European national election campaigns. While there may be consensus on the broader issues, expectations differ between EU countries, and with the enlargement of 2004 matters become more complex. This book seeks firstly to assess the impact of the enlargement process and then to analyse the challenges that lie ahead in the field of health and health policy. Written by leading health policy analysts, the book investigates a host of areas including: · Health care investment· International recruitment of nurses and doctors· Health and safety· Communicable disease control· European pharmaceutical policy Health Policy and European Union Enlargementwill be of interest to students of health policy, economics, public policy and management, as well as health managers and policy-makers. Contributors:Tit Albreht, Roza Adany, Ivana Bozicevic, James Buchan, Richard Coker, Evgenia Delcheva, Carl-Ardy Dubois, Anna B. Gilmore, Antero Heloma, Rainer Hess, Elke Jakubowski, Nicholas Jennett, Panos Kanavos, Manuel Lobato, Karen Lock, Laura MacLehose, Martin McKee, Sally Nicholas, Ellen Nolte, Stjepan Oreskovic, Esa Osterberg, Anne Marie Rafferty, Magdalene Rosenmöller, Alison Wright-Reid, Monika Zajac, Witold Zatonski.

This book provides a systematic collection of EU actors, EU policy and EU actions in global health. It answers key questions on governance of the EU and its policy processes. The book starts with an introduction to the EU as a global actor and continues to outline the historical development and the Treaty basis for health, including the Maastricht and Lisbon Treaties. It also discusses the Commission's global health communication and the subsequent Council Conclusions on global health. Both documents define EU values in global health and identify the future priorities for global health action in the EU. Four of the five priorities are then described from the perspective of a different country experience. The book also considers the opportunities for research and provides an overview of the political, legal and financial instruments available to the EU. It also explores the global health architecture and processes within which the EU is acting, namely at the WHO, in the different multilateral organizations, and in global public health international treaties and regulations. Finally, the book addresses the importance of policy coherence at a national level and provides critical viewpoint on the EU as a global health actor. The book will assist practitioners working in policy making and international negotiations affecting health, as well as students and researchers, to create a better understanding of the European Union, its role in global health, and the uniqueness and specificity of the EU as a global health actor. It provides an overview of how the EU can act in global health and outlines the intersections of health and other sectors, as well as the instruments available to the EU to act effectively at a global level. The collection of contributions in this form and from this health policy perspective are not yet found elsewhere on the market.