FAQs

FAQs are questions frequently asked by users:

In which languages is the Portal available?

The Health-EU Portal is a multilingual portal giving as many people as possible access to information in their own language. The navigation and content of the portal (such as the homepage or introductions to themes) are available in 22 EU official languages.

When accessing external sites, information is available in English in most cases and other languages are provided if possible.

What is the aim of the Portal?

The main objective of this thematic portal is to provide European citizens with easy access to comprehensive information, and to permit greater involvement of individuals, institutions, associations, organisations and bodies in the health field by facilitating consultation and participation. It is also intended to help meet EU objectives in the Public Health field, positively influence behaviour and promote the steady improvement of public health in the Community.

What is the target audience?

The Health-EU Portal is directed to those who want to keep informed about issues affecting their health, and at those who wish to keep up to date with policies and decisions taken at European, national and international level. The Portal is also an important source of information for health professionals, administrations, policy makers and stakeholders. It also provides expert users with access to statistical databases relevant to public health.

Does it provide medical advice?

The Portal does not provide medical advice. It gives access to a wide range of reliable information and data on health-related issues and activities at both European and international level. It thus provides simple, clear and scientifically sound information about measures to protect health and prevent diseases.

Access for the disabled people (WAI compliance)

The Portal is accessible to everyone, including older people and people with disabilities, as it follows the internationally recognised rules on accessibility.

The Portal conforms to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, level A. W3C is an international consortium issuing guidelines for the Web.

Quality criteria for the inclusion of information

Links and content are selected on the basis of the following criteria: trustworthiness, transparency and accessibility.

First of all, information selected from websites has to be relevant to the portal topics, and its organisation and presentation must help users easily understand the subject. Websites have to contain relevant, free information. Content must be available in at least one of the official Community languages. The aim is to provide reliable, quality-controlled and subject-oriented access to web-based information throughout Europe. It is crucial for the Health-EU Portal to provide only links to high quality external websites. These criteria have therefore been established to select relevant web pages from trustworthy sources.

Which information sources does the Portal links to ?How will content be kept updated?

The portal links to relevant pages and websites of the European Union institutions, national governments and sub-national authorities, international organisations and European non governmental organisations. A systematic overview and contacts network allows a timely updating of content.

How do I get the information I need?

Readers can easily access the information they need via a simple theme structure which presents health-related aspects affecting individuals and their environment. 

Each theme leads to its related sub-themes - for example My Lifestyle leads to Nutrition – where there is a comprehensive range of information and links to policies and activities in the European Union. National policies on each topic can be found in the Member States dedicated section. Information on contributions to the development of public health issues by European non-governmental organisations and international organisations is also available in a dedicated section. Deep links lead directly to the page on the subject required.

Is there a news section?

Sections dedicated to News, major topical Events occurring across Europe and Press Releases keep informed and give the opportunity to get involved in major decisions and events in the health field at national and international level.

Are there restricted areas for which a password is needed?

The Portal does not contain password-protected areas.

Which countries are involved in the Portal?

The countries involved are the 25 EU Member States, the EFTAStates and the candidate countries.

For questions which are not included here, please contact us.

A description of the Portal is also available on the About page.