The Treaty of Lisbon and public health in the EU

Abstract

The Treaty of Lisbon entered into force on 1 December 2009 after a long process of negotiations and ratification in all European Union (EU) Member States. It will bring about several changes in European Community policy, but for public health the existing principle will remain: it will continue to be subject to the subsidiarity principle. This implies rules allowing the Union only to complement national health policies and to act at the level of shared competence aiming at activities to support, coordinate or supplement the actions of the …