THE WEEK THAT WAS... (Apr. 1, 2013)

Do you believe it? ‘With the one hand the EU is significantly subsidising tobacco farmers while spending millions with the other hand to launch health campaigns to stop people killing themselves by smoking’, according to MEP Julie Girling (UK, ECR). It is absolutely true! In the last six years the EU has spent over €1.1 billion in cancer research alone. Smoking is responsible for the deaths of 700.000 people in Europe every year. The European Commission says they are ‘committed to a strong tobacco control policy to ensure a high level of public health in the EU internal market’. But ’by voting to maintain tobacco subsidies as a part of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the European Parliament has displayed a bizarre disregard for public health in Europe’, according to Monika Kosińska, secretary-general of European Public Health Alliance.

Internationally, as a part of the EU development agenda, SRHR (sexual and reproductive health and rights) figures prominently. But … within the borders of the EU there is no room for it. "The EU applies double standards", says MEP Sophie In‘t Veld (NL, ALDE). ‘This needs to be changed; themes such as abortion, homosexuality, HIV/AIDS and women’s rights are nothing if not a part of public health!’. She points to the large differences between the national health policies of the member states, for example on the access to contraceptives, sexuality education and abortion policies and mentions recent extreme cases in Ireland, Germany and Italy, all on religious grounds. ‘The EU can no longer propagate SRHR in its international development agenda with a straight face if this is not put right within the borders of the EU’, Ms In’t Veld concludes.

A union of double standards, that’s what the European Union is. And, unfortunately, not only in the field of Public Health…