On June 20th, the European Commission adopted the Decision 2008/544/EC in order to transform the former ‘Executive Agency for the Public Health Programme’ into the ‘Executive Agency for Health and Consumers’ (PHEA), amending some provisions set up by the Decision 2004/858/EC.

The Executive Agency for the Public Health Programme (PHEA) was set up by Commission Decision 2004/858/EC in order to manage the Public Health Programme 2003-2008. This Decision provided for the PHEA to carry out its functions until December 31st 2010, in order to execute contracts and grants signed under this programme.
 
The second Public Health Programme 2008-2013, designed to continue Community action in the field of public health entered into force on November 21st 2007. This second programmed focused into three broad objectives: 

• to improve citizens’ health security;
• to promote health to improve prosperity and solidarity;
• and to generate and disseminate health knowledge.

A cost-benefit analysis carried out by external consultants has shown that continuing to entrust programme implementation tasks related to the second Public Health Programme 2008-2013 to the existing PHEA would be the most cost-effective option.
 
Besides, the Consumer programme for 2007-2013, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on December 18th 2006, established the general framework for financing Community actions in support of Consumer policy for that period.
 
In the scope of the referred programmes, the Commission was allowed to organise training courses for the staff of the competent authorities of Member States and for participants from third countries, including developing countries, in areas such as  the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules, as well as plant health rules.
 
This new Decision enlarges the aims ans tasks of the former Agency in order to manage the objectives and actions of the three programmes. The amendments of the Decision include changing the name of the Agency to “Executive Agency for Health and Consumers”, and enlarging the duration of its tasks until December 2015.

The objectives set up by the Decision for the new Agency include: 

1. Management of all the phases in the  lifetime of the implementing measures delegated to it in the framework of the programme of Community action in  the field of public health 2003-2008.
2. The Commission decision delegating authority to the Agency shall set out in detail all the tasks entrusted to it.
3. The responsibility for carrying out the following implementation tasks for the management of the second Public Health Programme 2008-2013, the Consumer programme for 2007-2013 and the food safety training measures covered by Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 and Directive 2000/29/EC:

• managing the phases in the lifetime of specific projects  to be defined by the Commission in the instrument of  delegation in the context of implementing  the above referred Community programmes and  measures, as well as the necessary checks to that end
• adopting the instruments of budget implementation for  revenue and expenditure and carrying out, where the  Commission has empowered it to do so, all the  operations necessary to implement the above referred  Community programmes and measures and, in  particular, those linked to the award of contracts and  grants
• gathering, analysing and transmitting to the Commission  all the information needed to guide and evaluate the  implementation of the above referred Community  programmes and measures.

 
The Agency shall receive subsidies which shall be entered in  the general budget of the European Communities from the  funds allocated to the second Public Health Programme 2008-2013, the Consumer programme for 2007-2013 and the food safety training measures covered by Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 and Directive 2000/29/EC.’