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dossier	COM(2000)448 - Extension of certain programmes of Community action in the field of public health adopted by Decisions No 645/96/EC, No ...
source	COM(2000)448
date	25-07-2000

1. The present proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the extension of the programme of Community action on health promotion, information, education and training, the action plan to combat cancer, and the programmes on the prevention of AIDS and certain other communicable diseases, the prevention of drug dependence, health monitoring and pollution-related diseases forms part of the health strategy that the Commission presented in its communication COM(2000) 285 of 16 May 2000.

2. The new health strategy comprises a framework for action in the field of public health and inter-linked and mutually-supportive components in other Community policies and activities that have an influence on factors that affect health. As part of the public health framework, a new, overall, programme for action in the field of public health has been proposed by the Commission for adoption by the European Parliament and the Council pursuant to Article 152 of the EC Treaty. The new programme will replace the current programmes of action in the public health field.

3. In view of the need for completion of the co-decision procedure concerning the proposal for the new public health programme, it is possible that adoption of the relevant decision of the European Parliament and of the Council will not take place before the end of some of the existing programmes. The programmes on health promotion, cancer, AIDS and certain other communicable diseases, and drug dependence come to an end on 31 December 2000. The programmes on health monitoring and on pollution-related diseases come to an end on 31 December 2001.

4. Actions under the existing programmes are vital for pursuing the public health objectives of the Community and damage will be caused, in policy and field activity terms, if they are discontinued. The proposed new programme builds on such actions. The interim reports by the Commission (COM(1999) 408 of 8 September 1999, COM (1999) 463 of 14 October 1999), and COM (2000) 165 of 22 March 2000) on the programmes on cancer, AIDS and certain other communicable diseases, drug dependence and health promotion, information, education and training, are based on independent assessments of the actions taken under these programmes and their added value.

5. If the programmes that are due to end in 2000 and 2001 are extended, the potential damage from a discontinuity in the Community action will be averted and the difficulties above will not arise. However, their extension should only be limited in time and cover the transitional period until the new public health programme comes into force. For this reason, it is proposed to extend these six programmes until 31 December 2002. At the same time, the proposal for the new public health programme provides for the repeal of all the decisions concerning the current public health programmes. In this way there will be continuation and roll-over of actions from the current programmes to the new without interruption to key Community public health activities. Since EFTA/EEA countries and associated Central and Eastern European countries participate in the existing programmes, their extension will allow the continuation of such participation.

6. To ensure appropriate transition from the existing programmes to the new public health programme, the present proposal for decision calls for proper account to be taken in their implementation of the results of the independent evaluations that have been carried out. It also provides the frame for the activities in the transitional period by making explicit reference to the new strategy orientations contained in Communication COM(1998) 230 of 15 April 1998 from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, on the development of public health policy in the European Community, the Council Conclusions of 26 November 1998 on the future framework for Community action in the field of public health i, the Council Resolution of 8.6.1999 on the future Community action in the field of public health i, the European Parliament Resolution A4-0082/99 of 12 March 1999, the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee of 9 September 1998 i, the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 19 November 1998 i and in Communication COM(2000) 285 of 16 May 2000 on the health strategy of the European Community.

7. In accordance with Article 152 of the EC Treaty, this proposal concerns incentive measures to be carried out under the six programmes mentioned above. The decisions that established these programmes confirm the respect of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality with respect to the measures undertaken. The overall goal of such measures is to contribute towards ensuring a high level of human health protection by encouraging cooperation between the Member States, lending support to their action, promoting coordination of their policies and programmes, and fostering cooperation with third countries and the international organisations competent in the sphere of public health.

8. The objectives of these programmes, cannot, as has been shown in the decisions that adopted them, be sufficiently accomplished by the Member States. The proposed decision does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve the aforementioned objectives and respects fully the responsibilities of the Member States for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care.

9. The actions envisaged aim at the development of and support to activities of health promotion and prevention of specific diseases, the development of a health monitoring system, the collection and dissemination of information and the production of reports, which require cooperation with the Member States and lending support to their action. According to Article 152, no harmonisation measures are being proposed.

10. The proposal for extension of the programmes on health promotion, cancer, AIDS and certain other communicable diseases, drug dependence, health monitoring, and pollution-related diseases contains:

* A preamble, setting out the legal context, the justification for the proposal, and monitoring and evaluation arrangements;

* An operative part which extends the six programmes in line with the provisions concerning the objectives, actions, implementation responsibility, consistency and complementarity and committee procedure and international co-operation laid down under the corresponding decisions that launched them (Article 1), and contains clauses on budgetary provision (Article 2), on adaptation of the committee procedure (Article 3), on the participation of the EFTA/EEA countries, the associated Central and Eastern European Countries, Cyprus, Malta and Turkey (Article 4), on monitoring and evaluation (Article 5), and on entry into force of the extension decision (Article 6).