Strasbourg, 11/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament approved the Community action programme in the field of public health for the period 2008-2013, on Tuesday 10 July in Strasbourg. The delays in adopting this programme, the launch of which was initially planned for 2007, led to its application being postponed until 1 January 2008. In this second reading vote the Parliament followed its rapporteur, Greek Christian Democrat Antonios Trakatellis, by approving a package of compromise amendments which only slightly alter the Council joint position. The Parliament said that “the programme, in synergy with other Community initiatives and funding, should help improve knowledge on preventing, diagnosing and monitoring major diseases”. The programme should also encourage the appropriate coordination and synergies between Community initiatives in terms of collecting comparable data on major diseases, including cancer. It should “help offer citizens better access to information, so as to improve their capacity to take decisions in their own best interests”, the Parliament added, having decided to make do with the financial package of €321 500 000 for the period concerned. Its initial demand had been for more than €1 billion (see also EUROPE 9425). (oj)