Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-12-11-Speech-1-162"
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"en.20061211.16.1-162"2
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"Mr President, may I first express my thanks for all the hard work done by the members of the committees concerned with the Commission’s proposal for a Council recommendation on the prevention of injury and the promotion of safety. Let me acknowledge in particular the effort made by Mrs Sinnott in respect of this important initiative. I should also like to express my thanks to the Austrian Presidency for hosting a conference during its term, which also contributed to this issue.
The Commission started to support actions in the area of injury prevention under the former EU programme on injury prevention and has continued its support under the current public health programme. Injuries represent, as you know, after cardiovascular disease, cancer and respiratory diseases, the fourth most common cause of death in the Member States. Every year, some 235 000 EU citizens die as a result of an accident or violence. Over 50 million citizens seek medical treatment for injuries and 6.8 million of those are admitted to hospital. Injuries, unintentional and intentional, are estimated to be the main cause of chronic disability in young people, leading to an enormous loss of life-years in good health. Among people over 65, accidents and injuries are also a major cause of death and disability and are often the trigger for a fatal deterioration in health.
Areas that have attracted less attention in the past include home, leisure and sports accidents, as well as accidents in vulnerable population groups, such as children, adolescents and elderly people. Research shows that more than 50 % of serious accidents are preventable and that reduction by one quarter should be a realistic target over the next 10 years. But, of course, it is of the utmost importance to have reliable information on injuries in Europe in order to plan actions. Injury information is also essential for evaluating the outcome of all our efforts and actions.
The Commission has set out a Community action plan on injury prevention and safety promotion in its communication ‘Action for a Safer Europe’. Member States are encouraged to create similar national plans for injury prevention. Such plans should serve as a framework for actions that engage relevant partners and stakeholders. They should define institutional responsibilities and should be based on good practice and safety promotion.
The Council recommendation on the prevention of injury and the promotion of safety is a first step towards combining the efforts of the Commission with those of the Member States for actions for a safer Europe, in order to reduce the individual and societal burden of injuries. Through such a joint approach, through learning from each other’s experiences, we can have faster and more effective results. We hope and expect that the situation within the Member States in relation to accidents and injuries will improve significantly in years to come.
Once again, I would like to thank the rapporteur and the committee. I am looking forward to a very interesting debate."@en1
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