Ms Vassiliou on a visit to Finland
The EU Health Commissioner Ms. Androulla Vassiliou is visiting Finland on 10-11 June. During the visit, the Health Commissioner Vassiliou and the Minister of Health and Social Services Paula Risikko discuss, for example, the Commission initiative to promote the health and wellbeing of children and young people. Ms Vassiliou will also meet with Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen and the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sirkka-Liisa Anttila.
Ms Vassiliou is a guest speaker at the working seminar the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Ministry of Education organise on Thursday June 11 focusing on the promotion of the health and wellbeing of children. Representatives of various administrative sectors, experts, researches and representatives of children and youth organisations are also attending in the seminar.
Children and young people take part in the panel discussion, where they can comment on the preceding presentations and bring forward their own hopes, views, and ideas for development measures. The goal is to encourage young people to join in the efforts to promote their health and wellbeing.
The seminar is related to an important Commission initiative on the promotion of the wellbeing and health of children and young people. The initiative is based on the EU Health Strategy for 2008-2013, which also focuses on the health and health determinants among young people in the Member States. The aim of the initiative is to increase public awareness and joint efforts to solve health problems among young people and improve their health status.