The Report, published on July 23rd., follows the Commission's obligation to regularly monitor the implementation of the actions under the programme in the light of the objectives, set by the Decision No 1786/2002/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of September 23rd 2002, which adopted the programme of Community action in the field of public health (2003-2008).

The Commission published its Report to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the Public Health Programme in 2007, concluding that 2007 was a year of major policy achievements for the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate-General, as it was marked by:

• The adoption of the Second Programme of Community Action in the Field of Health (2008-13): In was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council October 2007. It is structured around three strands (improve citizens’ health security, promote health, generate and disseminate health information and knowledge) and has a financial envelope of 321,5 M€. It aims to complement, support and add value to the policies of the Member States and contribute to increased solidarity and prosperity in the European Union by protecting and promoting human health and safety and by improving public health.
• The adoption of the White Paper “Together for Health, a Strategic Approach for the EU 2008-2013”: The White Paper was also adopted in October 2007. It brings together in a coherent and comprehensive framework a range of EU policies that impact on health. Its aims are to foster good health in an ageing Europe by promoting good health throughout the lifespan, to protect citizens from health threats including communicable diseases and patient safety, and to support dynamic health systems and new technologies. It sets out principles to underpin health policy: the need for a value-driven approach, health and wealth, strengthening the EU’s voice in global health and integration of health in all policies. In this respect, the Commission ensures that there is an assessment of the impact on health of major policies and actions developed.

Within the actions undertaken during 2007, a single call for proposals, covering all work plan activities for 2007, was published on February 16th. 2007. The indicative amount for the call for proposals was 33,888 M€, and 222 applications were submitted for the three strands (93 for Health Information, 17 for Health Threats and 112 for Health Determinants).

The Commission has also further enhanced its collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), as a result of having signed in March 2007 contracts for seven new joint projects worth a total of 4,242,963 €, 60% of which is funded by the Community Public Health Programme (2003-2008). The contracts cover EU health policy priorities on environment and health, injuries, equity in health, health security, health services, alcohol and emergency services. The projects will be implemented by WHO Europe over a period of three years.

Technical, scientific and administrative assistance needed to implement the 2007 call for proposals was provided by the Executive Agency for the Public Health Programme (PHEA), which was set up by Decision 2004/858/EC1. It organised the 2007 call for proposals, coordinated the evaluation of the projects submitted, and negotiated and signed the related grant agreements.

The main activities developed under the Community Public Health Programme (2003-2008) in 2007, were focused in the following areas:

• Health information
• Health threats
• Health determinants
• Risk assessment