School in Italy between active and paying citizens, and reluctant Institutions
Parents who roll up their sleeves to clean up the school, and others who are opposed to closure of the "unsafe" school for the inconvenience that it creates. School leaders that oversee the safety of buildings assigned to them with the help of all, and others that prevent access in schools to organizations or committees, considering them as private property. Auditors who fail to intervene even compared to emergencies, others acting with the limited resources available, endeavoring as they can. Teachers also available to administer medicines, teachers refractory to any change and innovation. School buildings in large cities that fall apart, cutting-edge buildings in small towns of the South.
These are some of the contradictions presented in the XI Report "Safety, quality and accessibility in school" of Cittadinanzattiva showing that if it is a growing awareness of the seriousness of school how to counter it they are totally uneven and disorganized. Read more
Adriana Bizzarri, National Coordinator school sector of Cittadinanzattiva

More information:
Italian school building maintenance “woeful”
The maintenance of Italian school buildings is “woefully inadequate”, according to the 11th annual report from Cittadinanzattiva. Read more (Spanish or English version).

In the European Union the number of dossiers continues to decrease: Italy is the worst with 99 underway
The number of infringement procedures in Europe continues to decrease but nonetheless still remains high: in 2012 alone the European Commission initiated an average of 3 ½ per day, with member states – as is the case for Italy and Portugal – summoned by Brussels in compliance with the Community regulations of 3 times a month. Read more

Develop EU Pain Patient Pathways Recommendations
The Patients' Forum organized by Active Citizenship Network and Pain Alliance Europe last 22-23 October, 2013 it was the occasion to develop concrete proposals for the improvement of pain management in Europe: recommendations against pain, according to the patients point of view, for a good Health policy on chronic pain relief. Read more and download the documents

Promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights
It has been published by EuropeAid the ban "Promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights - Universal Access to Reproductive Health" part of the program Investing in people. The call has a budget of 28 million euro and will expire, for the submission of Concept Notes, December 10, 2013. The overall objective of the notice is to contribute to poverty reduction and improved welfare of the populations of developing countries through better informed choices about reproductive health and family planning. Download the documents

Cyprus: still protesting for the Human Rights and the Rights of Patients
The President of the Association of Cancer Patients and Relatives EL.A-ZO, member of the Cyprus Alliance Initiative - EYCA 2013, started on 22 of May 2013 his strike outside the Presidential Palace with a request for the Government: to create a State Radiotherapy Department at the General Hospital of Nicosia. Cyprus is the only country in Europe that has no State Radiotherapy Department. Watch the video

Cittadinanzattiva wrote to MEPs to avoid re-cycle of medical devices
Letter-Appeal of Cittadinanzattiva to avoid misleading a provision that threatens the safety of patients. The proposed regulation on medical devices voted by the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) of the European Parliament in the case it would approve the provisions on the reprocessing of single-use would take us back to a time when they used the glass syringes. Download the document presented on October 22nd (Italian version).

More information:
Parliament wants tougher medical devices control without extra burdens for SMEs

New guidelines for the safety of birth centers
The handbook “Standards for the evaluation of Hospital Delivery Ward” is edited by the Italian “Working Group for a safety Birth” and it will be presented during the 6th European Public Health Conference, organized by EUPHA. Contact details: marta.marino@rm.unicatt.it

Consulting the European Parliament to promote the use of mediation
The European Parliament has launched a consultation in all 27 Member States in order to assess the actual effects of the 2008 Directive on mediation in view of a possible new European regulatory intervention to promote the use of mediation. Fill out the online questionnaire

Court of Justice of the European Union: The Spanish procedural law does not guarantee the effectiveness of the Directive on the sale and guarantees of consumer goods. 
It is the responsibility of the Spanish courts to do whatever lies in their power to guarantee to consumers the high level of protection pursued by the Directive. Read more

By the European Commission proposal for a directive on plastic bags
The European directive proposed, which is still being finalized, provides for the possibility of taxing or banning the traditional shopper as expected in the Italian experience, which is considered a positive example and repeatable in all other member states. Read more (Italian version)

Consultation by the European Commission on Crowdfunding in the EU
The European Commission is launching a public consultation on crowdfunding to explore the added value of potential EU action. Contributions are particularly sought from companies, notaries, national authorities, universities and business organizations. The consultation will be open for participation until the 31.12.2013. Read more

Civic participation: the experience in Colombia
A successful experience of International cooperation realized in Colombia by United National Development Program and Cittadinanzattiva supporting citizens to improve the quality of their participation in Public services and Health. Read the article published in Spain. For more information, click here

8-9 November 2013, Athens, Greece:  2nd Patients in Power Conference
“Healthcare Policy in Times of Extreme Austerity” is the title of the 2nd edition of this Conference that is a Patients Included® one in which patients participate from the very beginning in the planning of the event. Read more

13-16 November 2013, Brussels (Belgium): 6th European Public Health Conference
The European Public Health Conference aims to contribute to the improvement of public health in Europe by offering a means for exchanging information and a platform for debate to researchers, policy makers, and practitioners in the field of public health and health services research as well as public health training and education in Europe. Read more

22-23 November 2013, Italy: XI National Day of safety in schools
The Day is now a fixed appointment for thousands of students across Italy, as well as the flagship event of the national campaign "IMPARARESICURI" promoted by the school sector of Cittadinanzattiva to inform and raise awareness on safety at school. Read more