Issue 419 | 21 September 2015

Vytenis Andriukaitis interview, Gastein heath forum, animal health package, online platforms, refugee crisis and more...

European health and food safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis kicks off our special Gastein 2015 feature by underlining that, “access to health is a fundamental right in the EU”. He also talks to us about his plans for reducing alcohol abuse, promoting eHealth and tackling antimicrobial resistance.

We also hear from European health forum President Helmut Brand, who discusses the importance of stakeholders from different policy areas joining forces to improve public health.

On another medical note, we’ve also got MEPs writing about key changes they want to see implemented in veterinary medicinal products rules, including rapporteur Françoise Grosstête.

Elsewhere, European deputies tell us about the key challenges presented by online platforms, as well as ways to combat child poverty which, as one MEP puts it, is more than simply someone else’s problem.