Brussels, 13 Apr 2005

The Greens and the European Free Alliance in the European Parliament have called for a stronger homeopathy presence in Europe and urged the Commission to fund research into alternative medicine in the next framework programme.

On 10 April, the International Day for ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵopathy that marks the 250th birthday of the German doctor Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, the Green/EFA Group released a statement criticising the official disregard in Europe for homeopathy and calling for political action to stop the 'discrimination against alternative medicine in Europe'.

'The development of homeopathy in Europe, America and Asia is a success story. However, while the interest of patients continues to grow, authorities are lagging behind, sometimes disregarding the potential of homeopathy and, sometimes actively working against it,' stated Monica Frassoni, Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group. 'We need political action to stop this discrimination, especially as patients want free choice of therapy.'

According to the group, homeopathy has proven its safety and efficacy over more than two centuries and makes a significant contribution to safeguarding public health. Yet, while European directives state that veterinary homeopathy has a prime place in organic farming, European and national legislation work to restrict the access and availability of those medicines by exaggerated safety standards, believes Ms Frassoni.

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'This is not in line with the new approach of 'Healthier Living' which is on the top of the EU's health agenda,' the statement added. 'Advocates of 'school medicine' often claim that the efficacy of homeopathy has not been proven by scientific studies. However, almost no public funding is invested into research of complementary and alternative medicine. This should be overcome by the next Framework Programme for Research and Development launch,' she concluded.

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