International policy

The health of UK citizens is increasingly determined by the forces of globalisation, especially the liberalisation of trade. The European Union has an ever more important role in protecting and promoting the health of European citizens. The EU has developed its health competency powers since the Maastricht Treaty (1993) and has implemented a series of far reaching public health programs and legislative measures.

The WHO designed the first global health treaty on tobacco in 2004 and new global strategies on chronic disease prevention, nutrition and physical activity in 2004 and 2005. Due to the considerations of the EU single market and the global marketplace the UK government has to work closely with the EU to take forward legislative actions to protect the health of UK citizens.

References:

WHO / FCTC Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (2004)

http://www.who.int/tobacco/framework/background/en/

WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (2004)

http://www.who.int/hpr/gs.all.docs.shtml

EU Green Paper on Nutrition and Physical Activity (2006)

http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/nutrition/documents/nutrition_gp_en.pdf.