Finns go for health and wealth

By James Franey

Date: 02/02/06

The Finnish government plans to emphasise the economic benefits of improving the health of Europe's workers during its forthcoming presidency of the EU.

Terttu Savolainen, the state secretary for health, told a conference in Brussels organised by European Voice that Finland wanted to establish "the principle of taking into account health arguments in all other policy areas".

"We believe," she said, "that the themes of maintaining working ability on one hand and increasing the attractiveness of working life on the other, should serve as the overarching umbrella of the presidency agenda."

Because of its "fast ageing population" Finland would, Savolainen said, be among the first EU countries to be affected by the difficulty of securing a sufficiently large labour force.

Finland takes over the presidency of the EU from Austria on 1 July. The Finnish presidency would be organising an informal meeting of ministers of employment, social policy and health. All three sectors would be brought together to discuss "the challenges of demographic change and globalisation in working life".

Savolainen said the EU's mandate to protect health in all its policies was clear, whereas, she said, its role in the provision of healthcare services was more complicated and contested.

• Papers from the European Voice conference, Healthy Europe, held on 26 January, are available on http://www.europeanvoice.com/ev/info.asp?id=1280

Article features comments by Terttu Savolainen, the Finnish State Secretary for Health at a conference in Brussels organised by European Voice. Speaking about Finland's forthcoming Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2006, Savolainen said that his Government wanted to establish 'the principle of taking into account health arguments in all other policy areas'.