EU seeking new PR partners for public health projects

The EU is planning to make a major investment in PR support for its various public health improvement projects over the coming years.

Around 22 million euros (17.7 million pounds) will be spent by the European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Consumers during the next four years to hire various PR firms, according to The Holmes Report.

A brief has been issued to detail the requirements associated with these projects, including content creation, event management and audiovisual services.

This comes as the EU considers potential strategies on a number of controversial healthcare-related issues, including minimum unit pricing on alcohol and a relaxation of restrictions on pharmaceutical businesses.

Moreover, the political bloc is also currently in a state of deadlock on talks to introduce a potential new tobacco products law.

The news also coincides with the recent publication of EU data showing that health spending in Europe fell in 2010 for the first time in several decades, suggesting that further efficiencies are needed in future.