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Monthly Newsletter edited by Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network
Civic Activism   |   Patients' Rights   |   Consumers' Rights   |   Support ACN         
Year 1th, number 4 - October 30, 2012
Highlight

The Dalli’s affair and the trust in Institutions

John Dalli resigned as Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy in October 2012 following an European Anti-fraud Office report which claimed that a Maltese lobbyist had approached the tobacco producer Swedish Match and proposed to make use of his contacts with Dalli to fix the EU export ban on chewing tobacco (snus).The report claimed that, while Dalli was not involved, he knew what was going on.

Read More...

Other informations:
Commissioner Dalli's resignation raises further questions
by Monika Kosiñska secretary general of the European Public Health Alliance

Commissioner Dalli will challenge the decision by Barroso to ask him to resign

Focus

New Pathway against pain in Europe

Cittadinanzattiva-ACN enters into the board of Pain Alliance Europe (PAE). PAE is an NGO umbrella organization of national associations who are committed to improve the quality of life of people with chronic pain. During the next PAE General Assembly on the 12th/13th of November in Aachen (Germany), ACN and PAE will discuss about initiatives to develop in Europe against the pain. Get further information: www.pae-eu.eu

News
Patients' Rights

Parliament will reject cuts to health sector

The European Parliament will oppose cuts to the EU health budget for 2014-2020, MEP Antonyia Parvanova (ALDE, Bulgaria) told EurActiv in an interview. She also says the proposed budget of €50 million per year for 28 member states is too modest.

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Sign against Stroke

The goal of Sign Against Stroke is to gather 1.7 million signatures in support of the Global Charter for people living with atrial fibrillation (AF) – one for each of the estimated number of grandparents, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles killed or disabled by AF strokes every year.

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Promoting the Right of independent living for people with disabilities

In the context of the Cyprus presidency of the EU, the ‘Forum Youth Club’ along with the sector of young people with disabilities,  successfully hosted the representatives of the ‘European network of independent living’ of young people with disabilities, from September 4th to September 9th on a fairly tight schedule of meetings. Read the press release

Three reports to shape patient involvement in HTA

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is a multidisciplinary tool that ideally should involve patients’ perspectives; however, in reality there is still a long way to go in achieving meaningful patient involvement in HTA. EPF has just released three consecutive reports to help patients gaining a foothold in the HTA process.

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Consumers' Rights

Mobility, a paradigm of European citizenship

From next January, ACN will coordinate a new project, financed by EC contribution. The project will consist in consulting thousands of citizens in 8 Member States on the different challenges represented by the Mobility of people for the future of the EU: transport accessibility, environmental sustainability and citizens/passengers’ rights.

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MEPs call for improvement of passenger rights

Each year millions of Europeans travel in and outside the EU, using planes, trains, buses and boats. As passengers they have certain rights, but these are often little known or even ignored. On 23rd October MEPs voted in plenary on a proposal to strengthen them, especially carriers' obligation to inform passengers about their rights.

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Civic Activism

"Future Active Citizens: volunteering as an experience of democracy": the final event

On the 23rd of November will take place in Rome the celebration of the prize-giving  of the video contest of the ACN project on volunteering. The 4 Romanian students who won the contest will be rewarded participating in the National Day of Schools’ structural safety: final event of the 2012 of the Learn safety Campaign of Cittadinanzattiva.

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Commit2Act: a new mobile app to promote youth activism

TakingITGlobal, a social network and non-profit organization, has recently launched Commit2Act, a mobile app available free designed to engage youth in taking action on environmental and social issues. TakingITGlobal has a mini-grant program for partner organizations, and can offer up to 500€ of funding for youth organizations to help with promotional efforts in Europe. Get further information:  www.commit2act.org and deannadel@takingitglobal.org.

…from Italy (Cittadinanzattiva initiatives)

Chronically ill elderly: the burden rests on the shoulders of families.
Presented the XI Annual Report on Policies chronicity of Cittadinanzattiva

To shed light on the problems the care-elderly chronically ill, and the inevitable implication on their families, is the XI National Report on the policies of chronicity "Emergency families: the unbearable lightness of Welfare," released by Cittadinanzattiva-CnAMC (National Coordination of Associations of Patients chronic). The report comes from data collected from 28 of the 86 national associations, representing more than 100000 people with chronic diseases.

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“Services and citizens: the spread of rights”. Presented by Cittadinanzattiva the XII Annual Report on public consumers in Italy

Telecommunications and energy in top place for inadequate services. Ever more aggressive commercial practices and unprotected citizens. Companies turned nasty by the crisis and consumers thrown into the fray of the economic front and that of citizen protection. This is the effect of the crisis that emerges from the XII PIT Services, Annual Report 2012, “Services and citizens: the spread of rights”, presented by Cittadinanzattiva-PIT Services.

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Health Technology Assessment, comparing experiences

After the Summer School on HTA organized in Rome last September, Cittadinanzattiva-ACN has joined the Steering Committee of the International Society for the involvement of citizens in the Health Technology Assessment.

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“Painless” Campaign

With this campaign, Cittadinanzattiva wants to dispel taboos and offer advice, information and protection to citizens on what to do and what to expect, at home, from the family doctor, medical facilities, in order not to suffer needlessly. The campaign also provides instructions for using the Italian Law n.38 of 2010 which is a law forefront in Europe and defends us from unnecessary pain.
The campaign is developing initiatives in 50 Italian cities, where volunteers of the Tribunal for Patients' Rights are available to the public, to give information, advice about their rights and distribute a free practical guide. Italian version is available online.

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Events

Greek: “Patients in Power. We Demand Better Healthcare!”

In the context of the ongoing reform of the Greek health system and under the pressure of an unprecedented economic and social situation, skepticism is spreading that the policies implemented so far have been moving in the right direction. An association partners of ACN promotes an event to discuss it.

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Conference “Not-for-Profit Resource Centers in Europe: Creating Synergies to Better Serve the Citizens of Europe”, 7th of November in Brussels

The conference will take place in the European Parliament and it is organized by European Citizen Action Service (ECAS), and Bulgarian ProInfo Foundation. During the Conference, ACN will present its activities. Click here to download the program of the event.

Conference "Act for Culture, act for Europe", 9th -10th of November in Brussels

Culture Action Europe's International Conference “Act for Culture, act for Europe”, will take place on the 9th and 10th of November in Brussels. It will be an occasion to discuss future challenges for the arts and culture together, as well as how to foster new models of sustainable development. Click here to download the program of the event. Get further information

 

Credits
Director: Antonio Gaudioso
Vice-director and Editor in chief: Alessandro Cossu
Editors: Daniela Quaggia, Teresa Petrangolini, Charlotte Roffiaen, Mariano Votta
Coordination and Production: Giacomo D'Orazio 

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