Brussels, 06/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - The first regional conference of experts on integrated environmental monitoring and heal in the enlarged Union opened on Monday in Warsaw in Poland. It brought together all concerned parties (environmental NGOs, researchers, local and regional authorities, representatives from Member States, new accession countries, European institutions and international organisations) to reflect upon ways for improving the response to increasing numbers of illnesses linked to the environment.
At the opening of this conference, Margot Wallström, European Commissioner for the environment, presented what was at stake in the new Community strategy launched by the Commission in June for reducing the number of environmentally linked diseases in the enlarged Union by prioritising child health (EUEOPE 13 June p 13). She welcomed the inauguration of the technical work that had feed through into the detailed action plan expected by the Commission next June for 2004-10.
“Here in Poland we're are going to begin our work in the goal of improving child protection against environmental dangers…WHO estimates suggest that a third of this total burden of diseases can be attributed to environmental factors. More than 40% affect children aged below 5 although theses only represent 10% of the world population. We must extend our field of environmental action as implications for health for those exposed to a slight or extended exposure to the cocktail of effects of different pollutants…We must identify and prepare for different threats causes by environmental factors and strengthen the capability of the Union to elaborate policy in this area…From the beginning, the strategy will be developed for the enlarged Union as health problems linked to the environment vary enormously from region to region…the quality of the action plan will depend on the full participation of all the actors…this conference is an excellent opportunity to closely involve actors from the Baltic region, declared the Commissioner, announcing that the next regional conferences will take place in ten days time in Rome (on diseases and priority health objectives) and in Brussels (on bio-monitoring of children, research indicators and needs). In March 2004 a conference organised by the Commission will open a public debate on health.
The 2004-10 Commission action plan taking stock from the results of these conferences, will constitute its first major contribution to the fourth Ministerial conference on the environment and health in Budapest in June 2004