Latest news by Nicole

EURACTIV - Belgium's 2026 health insurance budget foresees €1.5 billion in extra spending and €470 million in savings, nearly half from the pharmaceutical sector. The new savings proposal led to the breakdown of budget talks between the government and Belgium's pharma sector, and has drawn criticism in parliament, along with a sharp response from...

EU PERSPECTIVES - As the European Parliament's rapporteur for the forthcoming EU Cardiovascular Health Plan, MEP Romana Jerković (S&D/HRV) is clear that prevention must begin by confronting industries fuelling the disease. Above all, she wants to attack tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed foods, and marketing practices that target children...

EURACTIV - The European Union is facing mounting pressure to tighten its wildlife trade rules as gaps in regulation leave the bloc a key destination for trafficked species. Conservation groups and policymakers are calling for sweeping reforms, including criminalising the import of illegally sourced animals and establishing an EU-wide database to...

EURACTIV - When Brussels talks about biotechnology, the focus still falls on health or chemicals. At EIT Food's NextBite Conference on 15 October, Richard Zaltzman, EIT Food's chief executive, told Euractiv there "could definitely be a stronger voice for foods to be explicitly addressed within the Biotech Act." Read more

EURACTIV - The European Union's last Action Plan on Organ Donation and Transplantation ended in 2015, leaving a gap in the policy framework at a time when transplant needs are growing. As member states face increasing demand, persistent inequalities in access, and limited focus on long-term patient care, a renewed EU strategy is gaining urgency. ...