European Commission launches Environment and Health Action Plan 2004-2010

On 9 June 2004 the European Commission launched the European Environment and Health Action Plan 2004-2010 (the "Action Plan"), an initiative to address health problems related to pollution in the environment. The Action Plan was the Commission's main contribution to the WHO Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health which took place in Budapest in June 2004. That conference focussed on children under the theme "The future for our children".

The Action Plan has been developed to give the EU the scientifically grounded information needed to help Member States reduce the adverse health effects of certain environmental factors and to promote better co-operation between the environment, health and research sectors at EU and national level. It identifies 13 actions, which include initiatives on how to better understand the link between the environment and health, and to establish how environmental exposure leads to epidemiological effects. It also focuses on