The European Commission wants to present a proposal for a uniform Front-of-Pack label system for food by 2022. Labels on packaging should improve the understanding of the nutritional value of industrially produced food. The dispute between supporters of different systems is making waves.

Worldwide, more than 700,000 people die every year from infections with resistant bacteria. According to the UN, there could be up to ten million by 2050. In a study, the Centrum für Europäische Politik (cep) calls for measures against an impending shortage of antibiotics. The Freiburg-based think tank with partner institutes in Paris and Rome thus supports a key point of the new EU Pharmaceutical Strategy.

The  Centrum für Europäische Politik calls for a change of the EU treaties. According to the Freiburg think tank, the Conference on the Future of Europe should pave the way towards a European Health Union. "The EU treaties should be amended to give the EU additional competences in certain areas," says cep health expert Dr Patrick Stockebrandt.

Despite various lockdowns, the number of COVID-19 infections in the EU remains very high. In order to break the chains of infections and to end the restrictions on the free movement of people, services and goods, the use of contact tracing apps should be made mandatory. The positive effects prevail over data protection concerns.

By means of its “Farm To Fork" strategy, the EU Commission wants to create a “food environment” that makes it easier for consumers to choose healthy and sustainable diets. A cepPolicyBrief examines the consumer policy objectives and measures of the strategy.

The European Commission wants to introduce joint clinical assessments of medicinal products and medical devices at EU level. A cepInput continues the monitoring of the legislative procedure, for which a cepPolicyBrief has already been published in 2018. While the Commission Proposal is supported by Parliament, the Council is divided on this issue.

The CJEU is currently hearing a case regarding the French regulation of advertising by pharmacies. A cepInput describes the French regulations, explains the questions of the CJEU proceedings, looks at the Italian and German regulations in comparison and assesses the Opinion of the Advocate General.

The EU Commission has submitted a "strategic approach" aimed at reducing pharmaceutical residues and their impact on the environment. The cep has analyzed and evaluated the Commission's communication on this issue.

On the basis of the Transparency Regulation, the CJEU has for the first time decided on third party access to documents submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) by pharmaceutical companies. A cepInput explains the background and relevance of the CJEU proceedings and deals with the three main grounds for the decision in the "PTC Therapeutics" judgement.

In order to avoid impending shortages of medical devices as of May 2020 and with the aim to guarantee patient safety, the Council proposed an extension to the deadline for certain medical devices on 25 November 2019. The cep has assessed this in an Adhoc.