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The EU has officially launched its Year of Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. The campaign aims to draw attention to the fight against poverty throughout the next 12 months, with the slogan “Stop Poverty Now!” An important aim within the context of the current economic downturn is the drive towards greater social inclusion throughout Europe. […]

National ministers are attempting to push for greater equity as part of future EU employment plans. The EU 2020 strategy for growth and jobs is the main focus of a meeting of employment and social affairs ministers this week. The need to adopt a universal, equity-focused policy was emphasised in a report by the European Commission Social […]

The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, has announced the new team of EU Commissioners for the term 2009-2014. Of particular interest is the new EU Commissioner designate for health and consumer affairs, John Dalli, from Malta, currently the country’s Minister for Social Policy. As Minister for Social Policy, Dalli has been responsible […]

A Swedish survey has found that better social and economic conditions can improve the health of people with disabilities by up to a third. The report shows how risk of poor health decreases by as much as 37 per cent for men and 29 per cent for women in Sweden when age, level of education, insulting […]

Kate Pickett is a Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology at the University of York and co-author with Richard Wilkinson of The Spirit Level, a book which uses evidence to demonstrate how inequality is causing many of the problems affecting our societies today. She tells the Equity Channel how inequality affects us all and why it’s time to think outside the box. Why should […]

Evidence must play a bigger role in directing work on health inequalities in OECD countries, according a new report. Action to address the inequality in health status and in health care access can only be measured effectively if appropriate health indicators are available.  “These policy objectives require an evidence-based approach to measure progress,” the report […]

Public finances must be secure and sustainable despite the economic crisis, EU finance ministers have said. They stressed that the necessary structural reforms should be carried out as soon as possible, especially in light of Europe’s changing demographic nature. “The improvement of the long-term sustainability and quality of public finances together with a strong governance […]

The UK government has introduced legislation which will for the first time require all public bodies to actively work towards reducing inequality. The Equality Bill will require public organisations to report on inequalities concerning gender pay, disability employment, and ethnic minority employment, according to Harriet Harman, UK Minister for Women and Equality. “The Equality Bill […]

The EU has been urged to consider the mental health consequences of its economic recovery plans. Experts from health, social affairs, education and employment sectors took part in a high level meeting in Brussels to discuss the psychosocial aspects of the economic crisis. A panel of experts, chaired by EuroHealthNet, stressed that these psychosocial factors […]

Alcohol continues to cause illness and violence, according to a new report on the affordability of alcohol in the EU. The report states that across the EU increases in the affordability of alcohol are associated with increases in its consumption, and increases in alcohol consumption tend to lead to increases in the incidence of alcohol […]