Public Health Archives - Shaping Europe

Power to the Period Poor

Posted on 6 June 2023
by Luna Verbaas
with 0 Comments

Why period poverty is not as far removed as it may seem. On December 6, 2022, the Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives) of the Dutch government passed a motion supporting free menstrual products for people with low income in the Netherlands. In 2023, an additional…

‘The red flag has been raised’ but 1 in 10 cannot afford menstrual products

Posted on 13 September 2022
by Sabine Herder, Loes ter Horst and Anoek Zijderveld
with 0 Comments

On menstrual leave, period poverty and breaking the taboo surrounding menstruation (Menstrual Hygiene Day - part 2). On May 28, 2022, International Menstrual Hygiene Day, Shaping Europe's first article in the series on menstruation was published. Welcome back to everyone who has already read the…

Let’s talk about menstruation…

Posted on 28 May 2022
by Sabine Herder and Loes ter Horst
with 0 Comments

Women about their menstruation and the taboo surrounding periods (Menstrual Hygiene Day - part 1). Today, 28 May 2022, is Menstrual Hygiene Day. And unfortunately there is a big chance that you didn’t know that. Even though approximately half of the world population menstruates (part…

”You didn’t study at all, did you?”

Posted on 9 April 2022
by Linda den Bol and Esmee Slutter
with 0 Comments

Living with neurodiversity in our society. Last week, on World Autism Awareness Day, you could read the first part of our neurodiversity series. For those who have already, welcome back! For those of you who have not read last week's introductory article, you can find…

What is ‘typical’?: An insight into neurodiversity

Posted on 2 April 2022
by Linda den Bol and Esmee Slutter
with 0 Comments

Why neurodiversity is misunderstood and forgotten in our society. In recent years, fortunately more and more attention has been paid to inclusiveness and diversity in our society. Discussions about why women earn less than men or why people of colour are underrepresented in higher education…

The European Vaccine Passport

Posted on 1 June 2021
by Linda den Bol
with 0 Comments

The new EU crisis strategy in action ‘Infectious diseases, like Europeans, cross borders’. It is a statement that feels a bit obvious in the midst of a pandemic, but when it was penned down by some intern at the European Commission back in 2018 it…

Recovering from COVID-19: A tale of hidden integration?

Posted on 20 April 2021
by Marnix Vermeer
with 0 Comments

How a global pandemic has fueled European fiscal integration efforts. The year 2020 started with an optimism that now feels strangely distant: a new European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen, teeming with impatience and ambition; Commissioner Timmermans' Green Deal, and a new energetic…

Covid-19 restrictions: should the EU have been in charge?

Posted on 18 February 2021
by Tara Görder and Finn McCartney
with 0 Comments

Trying to do the right thing with Covid-19 measures. Would the EU have succeeded? In crisis management, there is rarely the possibility to please everyone. The Covid-19 virus in the EU context is a particularly good example of this: With core values including the freedom…

The Green Deal: Europe’s chance to ban harmful cosmetics

Posted on 16 February 2021
by Linda den Bol
with 0 Comments

How to ban harmful cosmetics from the European market? Europe loves cosmetics. From deodorant to make-up, from sunscreen to day cream. Almost 500 million Europeans use cosmetics on a daily basis and it shows; with a turnover of 79.8 billion euros in 2019, the European…