Dorota Sienkiewicz

WHO warns low taxes on sugary drinks and alcohol pose health risks Low taxes, which are not in line with inflation, are ineffective in reducing alcohol or sugary drink consumption, the World Health Organization warns.

Taxation is a secret weapon against alcohol and sugary drinks consumption. But if too low, it's ineffective to yield results, plus makes us turn blind eye on addressing other structural issues with the who food and drink supply chain. www.euronews.com/health/2026/...

It was only in 2006 that the UK paid off its last debt instalment for WW2. Warning to Ukraine? news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6215847...

@dorotasienkiewicz.bsky.social, Senior Policy Expert at @eurohealthnet.bsky.social, calls for a shift from individual responsibility to systemic change: primordial prevention of NCDs must target systems and environments before disease emerges. The next EU MFF should finance health, not illness.

Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years for plotting military coup in Brazil Former president sought to ‘annihilate’ country’s democracy after losing 2022 election

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Brazilians take to the streets to celebrate Bolsonaro conviction Indigenous groups and other minorities praise ‘breath of justice’ while US officials issue warnings of possible sanctions

I have a new found respect for Brazil. Well done, democracy! www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

A person with eyes censored stands with a placard, "HTTP410 privacy gone". Next to this, text reads "New EU plan could expand access to your personal data for US law enforcement."

A section of the proposal document provides background on the Visa Waiver Program and outlines that the proposal for data sharing would concern information including biometric data stored in the national databases of Member States.

News headline clippings point to growing concern about US privacy, personal data and limits of redress.

Text explains that the US has set a deadline of next December 2026 to reach an agreement, and calls for action to stop it.

1/ A new EU plan could expand access to personal data for US immigration and law enforcement.

This proposal document (see article) was released without a press announcement or much mention at all, yet it contains alarming plans.

Intergenerational trauma in Poland The number of active armed conflicts globally has increased sharply in recent years, reaching levels not seen since World War 2, with the World Economic Forum ranking state-based armed conflict as the...

Intergenerational trauma in Poland - The Lancet Regional Health – Europe www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

2025 EU4Health Work Programme 2025 EU4Health Work Programme

🇪🇺 2025 #EU4Health work plan finally published:

#NGOs to lose operational funding and #healthpromotion and #diseaseprevention to receive the smallest share of budget.

health.ec.europa.eu/publications...

Reeves says rules and red tape are ‘boot on the neck’ of business At the Mansion House dinner she calls for regulators to allow more risk to clear the way for economic growth

Cutting "red tape" (aka public protections), as Reeves is doing, does not save money. Instead, it transfers costs from the rich to the poor. Other people pay for financial recklessness, filthy rivers, air pollution, lax building standards and consumer rip-offs.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

“What makes this campaign problematic is that the only solution to #obesity being promoted (aside from surgery) is medication. No mention of #prevention even as the French govt’s obesity plan is expected in Sept".

“No coincidence that they target cities known for strong obesity prevention efforts.”

The best gift that you can give your child is time. Attention is... taking 20 minutes a day to give each child 100% of your attention.

The greatest gift 🎁 you can give your child? Your time. Showing up for them.

Set aside 20 minutes a day to spend with your child without any distractions. #parenting

Why Progressive Governments Keep Failing — And How to Finally Win Back Voters Progressives must act fast, make change visible, and perform powerfully — or watch populists fill the void.

Why Progressive Governments Keep Failing — And How to Finally Win Back Voters www.socialeurope.eu/why-progress...

Some 11.8 million Americans projected to lose health insurance as Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act passes US president Donald Trump’s major economic bill will be signed into law on 4 July, after a week of intense debate saw it narrowly passed by both the Senate and House of Representatives. Estimates say ...

Some 11.8 million Americans projected to lose health insurance as Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act passes

www.bmj.com/content/390/...

These women dedicated almost 50 years to science. Their efforts may soon be trashed | CNN Nurses in the US provided biological samples for decades to help study women’s health. Here’s what they think of President Trump’s actions that may end its funding.

Destroying 50 years worth samples on women’s health studies www.cnn.com/2025/07/01/h...

Every Dutch person has ‘forever chemicals’ in their blood Survey by Dutch institute finds widespread so-called PFAS in blood.

Everyone in the Netherlands has forever chemicals in their blood. www.politico.eu/article/fore...

📣 Calling young local politicians!
💡 Are you under 35, working in local politics and looking to step up your impact?

This autumn, join the 'School of European Policies for Local Government' in Florence - a training programme run by #Akadémeia and the Eurocities Academy.

Register 👉 lnkd.in/eqpEEKYK

Teenage girls are the loneliest people worldwide, study finds Men and women are about equally likely to say they are lonely, though teenage girls report higher loneliness levels than other groups, a new report found.

Teenage girls are the loneliest group in the world (24.3%, almost 1 in 4), a new WHO study finds (WHO Commission on Social Connection) www.euronews.com/health/2025/...

noncommunicable diseases, health innovation and AI, and medical supply chain resiliency

European Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi met his vaccine-skeptic U.S. counterpart Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and signalled readiness to work together in several areas.

pro.politico.eu/news/200545

EU Parliament creates official body to probe NGO funding It’s the latest of a series of moves by right-wing forces to increase scrutiny of nonprofits.

No comment, but i encourage you to read and reflect. www.politico.eu/article/eu-p... @pauljbelcher.bsky.social #IStandWithNGOs

UK government dropped health push after lobbying by ultra-processed food firms

Parliament’s health committee sets ambitious agenda on rare diseases, women’s health, and cancer - Euractiv The European Parliament's SANT Committee has revealed it will launch hearings and commission studies on mental health, antimicrobial resistance, and digital health.

EP SANT Committee set an ambitious agenda on #rarediseases, #mentalhealth in #digital age, economics of #healthpromotion and #diseaseprevention, #cancers. www.euractiv.com/section/heal...

Eating more ultra-processed foods linked to higher risk of early death Experts said more research is needed to determine whether ultra-processed foods directly raise the risk of premature death – or if they are simply a “bystander” with other factors to blame.

The new study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, indicates that for every 10% increase in the proportion of diets that were made up of ultra-processed foods, there was a 2.7% rise in the risk of premature death.
Correlation, no causation..
www.euronews.com/health/2025/...

Commission analyses social convergence in 10 EU countries The European Commission has released the 2nd-stage country analysis of the Social Convergence Framework for 10 EU Member States, in line with new EU economic governance rules. This report is part of t...

Commission analyses risks to upward social convergence in 10 EU countries, in line with new EU economic governance rules. The framework covers the following policy areas: Labour markets, Education and skills, and Social policies employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/news/commiss...

NHS cancer patients denied life-saving drugs due to Brexit costs, report finds Exclusive: Britons found to have ‘lost out’ while rest of Europe benefits from golden age of research and treatments

Sunlit uplands update:

“5 years after the UK’s exit from the EU…

while patients across Europe are benefiting from a golden age of pioneering research and novel treatments, Britons with cancer have “lost out” thanks to rising prices and red tape’

#Brexit

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Is dining with others a sign of happiness? — Harvard Gazette Shared meals may be a more reliable indicator of well-being than income, Harvard Kennedy School researcher says.

news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...

Misogynistic content driving UK boys to hunt vulnerable girls on suicide forums

No comment

TikTok en Instagram tonen binnen het uur pro-anorexia-filmpjes aan jongeren

Simply awful, dangerous . Flemish tv and radio company VRT published results of a survey showing that TikTok and Instagram show anorexia and other eating disorders promoting clips targeting the youth within just an hour of watching. vrtnws.be/p.ewLGAAJbB