The Health Committee voted yesterday on a resolution that aims at improving EU healthcare. Among other measures, the MEPs hope to encourage doctors to be more restrictive and responsible in prescribing antibiotics (also to animals) as well as to prohibit their sale without prescription; to motivate pharma companies to search for new antimicrobial agents (with resistance reaching 25% for commonly used antibiotics in several MS); to monitor more strictly potential conflict of interests between producers and prescribers of drugs. This resolution is the result of a report showing that 8-12% of patients admitted to EU hospitals experience adverse effects while receiving healthcare (e.g. infections) while ca 50% of these occurrences could have been avoided. (Health MEPs propose blueprint for safer healthcare)
****
Also yesterday, the Agriculture Committee amended draft rules on schemes to provide fruit, vegetables and milk in schools encouraging MS to better and at a larger scale promote healthy eating and consumption of local food amongst children. Two, so far separate, schemes will be merged - on providing milk and fruit to schoolchildren (which should reduce the administrative burden for upholding them). The Committee introduces a proposal to enable EU funding for local milk products such as yoghurt, cheese and curd (as long as they do not contain added flavouring, fruits, nuts or cocoa); to require MS to spend 10-20% of the EU funding on additional educational and promotional activities related to healthy eating habits (visits to local farms, distribution of local specialties etc.); to increase the EU funding in this area and to better divide it amongst the MS. (Milk and fruit in schools: agriculture MEPs promote healthy eating) 
