Priorities for public health action in the European Union [antikvár]

PREFACE When the Maastricht Treaty was ratified and the Amsterdam Treaty adopted, the European Union was awarded specific jurisdiction in the area of public health. Certain public health issues involve questions about the true capacity of community organizations to protect the health of European citizens and have given rise to considerable controversy, much aired by the media, on the process of European integration. It is striking, however, to note how little attention has been paid by public health professionals to these debates, and, more generally, how little they have contributed to thinking about European unity. It is true that these professionals, with the exception of a few people, have not been called upon to contribute in any way. Perhaps another cause for their silence lies in the lack of a truly European forum available to all public health professionals, no matter what their origin and place of work. The initiative of the French Society of Public Health (SFSP), as presented in the following publication, provides an overview of certain priority public health problems as defined by public health professionals working in the fifteen member states, as well as a wide range of approaches suggested as possible solutions for community organizations. In attempting to report this diversity and accurately describe the variety of approaches - what could almost be called cultures - in the field of public health across the European continuum, the coordinators of this major survey have adopted a resolutely participative and pragmatic approach. Our intention at each stage of the project was to allow different, even divergent, points of view to be expressed, rather than seeking to present a hypothetical consensus. These methodological choices and the resulting constraints have been described in detail in Chapter 1 by Martin McKee and Olivier Weil, and these may also be clearly seen in the subsequent chapters on various topics. Both form and content provide a view of the "common vision" shared by public health professionals as well as the many and varied modes of discourse, practices and professional organizations present in the fifteen member countries of the European Union. An update on the place, role and possible developments of national public health organizations in Europe is, to our mind, yet another significant contribution of this survey. It demonstrates wherever necessary that public health organizations can play a central role in developing health policies on a European scale as they do in their own countries at a national level. The network formed by member public health associations and organizations of the European Pub/ic ffea/t/i Association (EUPHA) has served as a starting point for this survey. The network has indisputably served as a platform for the development of increased dialogue between public health professionals and European decision-makers. We hope and trust that this publication will help increase awareness among these decision-makers of the relevance and value of public health professionals' contributions in making the choices that are building the social foundation of tomorrow's Europe. Published three years after "Comprehension and Choice: Ten priority public health care objectives", this work represents a new and important step for the SFSP. It is a sign of the society's increasing commitment to international openness, to acquiring the European dimension that has been one of our major goals. We would like to express our considerable gratitude to the persons who contributed to this work by helping us take this important step. None of this would have been possible without the enthusiasm and valuable advice of Dr. Henriette Chaumouillet, as well as the support of the European Commission, especially the