euractiv.com (14.09.2017) European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker wants to set up a new EU institution to monitor how labour law is applied in member states. The Commission will outline its plans for the supervisory authority by the end of 2018.

euractiv.com (24.10.2017) After lengthy negotiations, EU member states found a compromise on Monday (23 October) on the reform of posted workers, one of the pivotal issues for the EU reform pushed by Emmanuel Macron. 

The stakeholders' Working Group on mHealth assessment guidelines, which the Commission established in February 2016, recently concluded its works. A report, including a few case studies on mHealth, is now available.

While no consensus was reached amongst the represented constituencies on a set of guidelines, the Group allowed for valuable exchanges captured in a report summarising the process and the positions from the represented stakeholders.

With these words, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan captured the promise of information and communication technologies (ICT) in his opening address to the World Summit on the Information Society in 2003. Building on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), this compelling vision opened the door to new commitment, new investment and, most of all, to creativity and the drive to push the boundaries of technology far beyond anything ever dreamed.

Le Monde (19.10.2017) Les dépenses sociales des départements ont progressé de 24,5 % entre 2010 et 2016. Elles sont la première cause de la dégradation de leur situation financière, selon un rapport de la Cour des comptes  ntre 2010 et 2016, les dépenses sociales des départements (RSA, aide sociale à l’enfance, personnes âgées et personnes handicapées) ont crû de 24,5 %. Elles atteignent désormais 32 milliards d’euros et représentent plus de la moitié (55 %) de leurs dépenses de fonctionnement (65 % dans les outre-mer).

The Lancet (14.10.2017) The article briefly introduces the major-illness medical insurance in China, which has covered 1.01 billion people (of which 60% from rural areas) since its implementation in 2013. The new scheme is mainly funded (with an annual fee of 15 Yuan to 30 Yuan per person) through surpluses from the existing (social) medical insurance programmes (NCMS for rural residents and URMI for urban residents), and provided by commercial insurance companies through a bidding process.

AllAfrica (06.11.2015) The World Health Organization defines universal health coverage (UHC) as a situation in which all people who need health services receive them, without incurring financial hardship. UHC is currently perceived as a crucial component of sustainable development and listed as one of the possible goals of the post-2015 development agenda.

worldbank.org (06.07.2016) Ethiopia’s investments in health, education, social protection, and infrastructure have had a positive impact on economic development and promoting shared prosperity in the country, says 2015 Ethiopia Public Expenditure Review, a new World Bank Group report released today.

OECD iLibrary (27.03.2017)  This report presents the first international quantification and comparison of levels of social protection for long-term care (LTC) in 14 OECD and EU countries. Focusing on five scenarios with different LTC needs and services, it quantifies the cost of care; the level of coverage provided by social protection systems; the out-of-pocket costs that people are left facing; and whether these costs are affordable.

Le Temps (18.10.2017) L’humour est un baromètre de l’état de santé d’une entreprise. Bien manié, il permet de motiver les troupes et renforce la cohésion d’équipe