Health

National paediatric associations in six of eight European countries do not disclose their financial ties with the private sector.

The European Union's recent regulation, finalised in late March, promises more effective control for patients over their health data. At the same time, it seeks to ensure adequate access for doctors and scientists in the digital age, where big data is essential for effective research.

The quality of air in Serbia has been the subject of discussion for years, and it is no secret that the country is the worst in Europe in terms of premature pollution-related deaths. Recent satellite data accessed by Deutsche Welle in cooperation with the European Data Journalism Network is revealing.

Only a few days remain for the European Commission to address the tobacco lobby-related concerns recently raised by the EU Ombudsman in her recent preliminary findings. The industry is heavily represented in Brussels, but there is not sufficient transparency on its interactions with policy-makers.

Over the past 20 years, Europe has seen a 20-fold increase in drug shortages. Governments have used the Ukraine war and the energy crisis to obscure other – mostly structural – causes. This Europe-wide investigation reveals a range of explanations for Europe’s missing medicines.

The European Commission recently registered a European Citizens’ Initiative, that, among other measures, would prohibit any European citizen born after 2010 from buying cigarettes. The idea intends to phase out legal smoking, but according to statistics, it would cause significant issues in some member states, since young people apparently like to smoke.

Only two European Union member states confirm that they had strategic reserves of the most effective and safe vaccine against monkeypox, a smallpox-like virus.

Anxiety and depression were among the most common mental-health problems across the European Union even before the pandemic. But in every EU country that provides psychological help as part of its public healthcare, there are limits to this in practice. And some countries do not even offer such help.

In addition to economic or altruistic motivation, anonymity plays a key role in egg or sperm donation, although an increasing number of countries require disclosure of donor identities.

Erika and her husband have tried in-vitro fertilisation four times since 2017, but after two implantations without success they had enough of the overworked Hungarian healthcare system and decided to try their luck abroad. They have never regretted their decision.