8.3.2011   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 74/4

1.

RECALLS that under Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Union action is to complement national policies and be directed towards improving public health; it is also to encourage cooperation between the Member States in the field of public health and, if necessary, lend support to their action, and fully respect the responsibilities of the Member States for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care;

2.

RECALLS that under Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the Member States, in liaison with the Commission, are to coordinate among themselves their policies and programmes;

3.

UNDERLINES that the principles and overarching values of universality, access to good quality care, equity and solidarity, as endorsed in the Council conclusions on common values and principles in EU health systems of 2 July 2006, are of paramount importance for patients with chronic diseases;

4.

RECALLS that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), chronic diseases are diseases of long duration and generally slow progression. Chronic diseases are by far the leading cause of mortality in the world, representing 60 % of all deaths worldwide and impose an enormous burden on the daily lives of patients and their relatives and on society as a whole. There will be in the next decade an increase of chronic diseases including due to the ageing of the European population;

5.

RECALLS that the Commission, in its White Paper: Together for Health: A Strategic Approach for the EU 2008-2013 of 23 October 2007 (1), which develops the EU Health Strategy, pointed out that fostering good health in an ageing Europe and supporting dynamic health systems and new technologies are key objectives for the coming years;

6.

RECALLS the Communication from the Commission: ‘Europe 2020 — A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’ of 3 March 2010 (2), especially the flagship initiative ‘European Platform against Poverty’ and the Communication from the Commission: ‘Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative—Innovation Union’ of 6 October 2010 (3), providing for a pilot European innovation partnership in the field of active and healthy ageing;

7.

WELCOMES the Ministerial conference: Innovative Approaches for Chronic Illnesses in Public Health and Healthcare Systems, held in Brussels on 20 October 2010, which underlined the need to find innovative ways for cost-effective prevention of common risk factors, in order to create an environment that makes healthy choices easier for citizens, to take into account socio-economic inequalities in both health promotion and health care, to facilitate better coordination throughout the healthcare systems in order to ensure integrated patient-centred care and to stimulate integrated research into health promotion, primary prevention, secondary prevention (including early diagnosis), treatment and care of chronic diseases;

8.

INVITES Member States to:

9.

INVITES Member States and the Commission to:

10.

INVITES the Commission to: