New WHO EURO publication: Home care across Europe: For every person over the age of 65 in Europe today, there are four people of working age. By 2050, there will only be two. Demand for long-term care, of which home care forms a significant part, will inevitably increase in the decades to come. This latest WHO publication examines European policy on home care services and strategies and the steps forward. To access the publication, click here.

DESIGNED TO MOVE - A Physical activity Action Agenda: For the first time in history, today's children are expected to have a shorter life expentancy than their parents.Urgent priority must be given to increase the world's commitment to physical activity. The Designed To Move campaign offers consensus on the way forward - a single vision: future generations running, jumping and kicking to reach their greatest potential. To access the report and for more information, click here.

Building European reference networks in health care: this new WHO Europe publication explores the application of patients’ rights in cross-border health care and the development of European reference networks. These networks are meant to improve access to and provision of high-quality specialized health care to those patients who need it. Click here to view the publication.

New black triangle symbol for medicines subject to additional monitoring: A black inverted triangle'▼'will shortly appear on the package leaflet of certain medicinal products on the EU market. This symbol will flag to patients and health care professionals that a medicinal product is subject to additional monitoring, and its accompanying text will encourage them to report any unexpected adverse reaction through national reporting systems. For more information, click here.

European Parliament backs tobacco subsidies and votes a common agriculture policy (CAP) unfriendly to public health: The European Public Health & Agriculture Consortium (EPHAC) of which IDF Europe is a member, is disappointed by the European Parliament’s approval of coupling subsidies to tobacco production. Tobacco and unhealthy diets are major modifiable risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). There are many ways in which the Common Agriculture Policy can make a difference in Europeans lives - such as subsiding healthy food to make it cheaper so low income people can make the move from junk food to a healthy diet. For more information, click here.

Eucomed launches portal on medical devices market access in European countries: The Reimbursement of Medical Devices portal provides with quality information on national health care systems and reimbursement pathways of medical devices. The portal is developed and supported by Eucomed, the European medical technology industry association. To access the portal, click here.

New EUR - Lex website: online access to EU Law: The EUR-Lex website provides free access to the world's largest online documentary library of European Union law. It is available in the 23 official languages of the EU. To visit the portal, click here.

  Events 

• Eastern European Countries Sub-Regional Meeting, Baku, 26-28 April 2013. For more information, contact Mominat Omarova.

• European Immunization Week, 20–27 April. This year's campaign will focus on people affected by vaccine-preventable diseases. Read more.

Calling on European Youth Advocates!  IDF Europe invites young diabetes advocates from its member associations to apply to the 3rd edition of its Youth Leadership Camp (22-28 July 2013). Deadline for applications: 30 April 2013. For more information on the Camp and on how to apply, click here.

Outcomes of 5 March,  European Public Health Alliance Social Media training: Social media plays an increasingly important role in our advocacy work. A thought-through social media strategy  increases your organisation’s outreach both to vital stakeholders (e.g. national or European policy-makers) and to the wider public.  For more information on the outcomes of this training,  contact gael.bassetto@idf-europe.org and click here for the supporting documents.