The keenly anticipated revision of the EU medical devices legislation is perhaps one of the most controversial, technical and topical pieces of health legislation to be discussed in Brussels in recent years.

Medical devices cover a wide range of products, from simple bandages to the most sophisticated life-supporting products. These devices play a crucial role in the diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, and treatment of diseases and in the improvement of the quality of life of people suffering from disabilities.

Innovation in this particularly dynamic sector is considered fundamental to ensuring access to quality and cost-efficient healthcare. The new regulatory framework will undoubtedly affect the ability and capacity of the medical device industry to deliver this.

It will also impact upon national public authorities, the healthcare community and patients by ensuring access to safe and high-quality devices across the EU through robust surveillance, assessment and monitoring mechanisms.

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Record 88% of Emirati youth believe their country is “heading in the right direction”

 Dubai, UAE; April 9, 2013: For the second consecutive year, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the country in which most Arab youth would like to live and the country they would most like their own nation to emulate, according to the findings of the fifth annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey, released in Dubai today.

Mirroring the results of the 2012 Arab Youth Survey, the UAE continues to be regarded as a model nation. Asked to name the country, anywhere in the world, where they would most like to live, Arab youth, as they did in 2012, cite the UAE as their preference. The UAE is the top choice of 31% of Arab youth across 15 countries in the MENA region, followed by France (18%), the United States and Turkey (16%).

In this year’s Survey, ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller selected international polling firm Penn Schoen Berland (PSB) to complete 3,000 face-to-face interviews with exclusively Arab national men and women aged 18-24 in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain), Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia, and in three new countries added this year: Morocco, Algeria and Yemen. The survey was conducted between December 2012 and January 2013.

When asked which country in the world they would most like their own country to be like, the UAE was voted first, with nearly a third of all youth (30%) naming that country, followed by France (17%), the United States and Turkey (16%), and China (13%) this year taking the fifth position.

A fifth of all Arab youth would also prefer their country to follow the UAE’s model of development, with the country again rated top overall. The UAE is followed by France, the United States and China (each country the preference of 11% of respondents), Turkey (9%) and Germany (7%).

According to the 2013 findings, the desire to live in the UAE is most pronounced among Saudi Arabian youth, with 36% of young people surveyed in the Kingdom citing the UAE as their preference, and Egyptians (35%).

Joseph Ghossoub, Chairman and CEO of the MENACOM Group, the regional parent company of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, said: “The UAE’s emphasis on economic diversification, free market reform, technological innovation and investment in human capital resonate around the world, and clearly also continue to strike a chord with Arab youth.”

The popularity of the UAE is also a reflection of the country’s continued economic resilience. Considering the last 12 months, a record 88% of Emirati youth believe their country is heading in the right direction. Further, 63% of Emirati youth surveyed believe their country can “compete on the world stage”, markedly higher than the regional average of 54% who say the same about their country.

Sunil John, Chief Executive Officer of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, said: “The findings of the ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey 2013 echo the success of the UAE in achieving a high standard of development – in keeping with its Vision 2021 to be among the best nations in the world – and its enduring global image as an ideal country in which to live and work.

The UAE serves as an international gateway connecting more than 2.5 billion people within a four-hour flight. Home to over 200 nationalities, the country ranks first among Arab nations in the UN World Happiness Report 2012 (17^th globally), and in the Legatum Prosperity Index 2012 (29^th globally).

The UAE also appears at the top of FutureBrand’s ‘Future 15’ list, which identifies nation-state brands set to bring out about transformative economic, political and cultural changes.

According to the 2012 World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report, the UAE is rated the highest among Arab nations for women empowerment. Women constitute around two-thirds of the public sector workforce in the UAE and are well represented in the UAE legislature, the Federal National Council.

Underlining its economic competitiveness, the UAE is the best country in the Arab World in which to start a business, according to The World Bank’s ‘Doing Business 2013’ report, and is ranked 26^th globally in the report, up three places from 2012.

The UAE ranks 24^th in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report 2012-13, and 16th in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2012, improving its position 12 places from 2011.

By hosting the global headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency and through ground-breaking initiatives such as Masdar City in Abu Dhabi and the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Solar Park in Dubai, the UAE is also increasingly setting the pace for sustainable development and the mitigation of climate change.

The UAE is also widely recognised for its contribution to humanitarian aid, having donated more than AED163 billion (US$45 billion) since its foundation in 1971, and is the world’s 20^th most-generous donor nation.

More in-depth findings of the fifth annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey are freely available from the study’s dedicated website: www.arabyouthsurvey.com

-Ends-

Note to Editors:

About ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller:

Established in 2000, ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller is the region’s leading public relations consultancy, with 11 fully-owned offices and 10 affiliates across the Middle East and North Africa. A WPP company within the global Burson-Marsteller network, ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller is a member company of the MENACOM Group.

The agency provides services to governments, multinational businesses and regional corporate clients through its seven practices in the sectors of Technology, Corporate, Finance, Healthcare, Consumer Marketing, Public Affairs, and Energy & Environment. Its services include reputation management, crisis & issues management, digital communications, media relations, media monitoring & analysis, and event management. www.asdaabm.com

About Burson-Marsteller:

Burson-Marsteller, established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and communications firm. It provides clients with strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, reputation and crisis management, advertising and web-related strategies. The firm’s seamless worldwide network consists of 75 offices and 85 affiliate offices, together operating in 110 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Group, a subsidiary of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), the world’s leading communications services network. www.bm.com

About the MENACOM Group:

MENACOM, part of WPP and Y&R Group, with headquarters in Dubai, is the Middle East and North Africa region’s leading communications conglomerate. The group includes, in addition to ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, advertising agencies Young & Rubicam, Intermarkets and Partnership; direct marketing specialists Wunderman; media specialist firm MEC; and interactive firm Tattoo. With over 900 employees in its network of 37 offices, MENACOM provides marketing communications services in 12 countries across the Middle East and North Africa.

About Penn Schoen Berland:

Penn Schoen Berland (PSB), a member of Young & Rubicam Group and the WPP Group, is a global research-based consultancy that specialises in messaging and communications strategy for blue-chip political, corporate and entertainment clients. PSB’s operations include over 200 consultants and a sophisticated in-house market research infrastructure with the capability to conduct work in over 90 countries. The company operates offices in Washington, D.C., New York, London, Seattle, Hong Kong,

Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dubai, Beijing, Austin and Denver, which are supported by an in-house fielding capability and are fully equipped to provide the complete creative solutions PSB clients need. www.psbresearch.com

For further information, please contact:

Sunil John/Bashar Al Kadhi

ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller

Dubai, UAE

Tel: 971-4-4507600

Email: ays@bm.com

www.asdaabm.com

www.arabyouthsurvey.com

However, his victory may be short-lived if a petition filed with the Supreme Court to nullify his victory stands. Mr Odinga challenged the

election of Mr Kenyatta as the fourth president of the Republic of Kenya, deeming the vote to be ‘tainted’. This may delay the swearing in of the President-elect.

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Since 2012, Burson-Marsteller Brussels has provided pro bono support to EURORDIS, the European Organisation for Rare Diseases, in particular regarding the organisation and promotion of awareness raising campaigns to mark the annual international Rare Disease Day.

As part of this we have helped EURORDIS for the fifth Rare Disease Day on 29 February 2012 with the development, launch and dissemination of a global awareness raising video on people living with rare diseases. The video aims to inform the public about rare diseases, strengthen solidarity for patients, and bring stakeholders together. The successful video was translated into 11 languages and went viral on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube where it ranked first in the NGO category. Burson-Marsteller Brussels was especially proud to participate in this promotional campaign which helped patients spread their message of solidarity: Rare but strong together!

To view the video, see Rare Disease Day

Today, we continue supporting EURORDIS with the organisation of its annual Rare Disease Day 2013 by providing strategic guidance, creative input and communications support around its international campaign to increase global awareness of rare diseases.

For further information please do not hesitate to contact Julie Valente, Senior Director and Head of the Healthcare Team, Burson-Marsteller Brussels, at 0032 (0)2 743 66 50.

The NDC also increased its representation in parliament, and is projected to win an absolute majority in the 275-seat assembly.

The Observer Mission from Ecowas (the Economic Community of West African States), led by a former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, described the electoral process as generally free, fair and peaceful. Ghana was described as being ’the vanguard of democracy’. However, the centre-right opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) alleged that the election was fraudulent and indicated that it will contest the polls in court.

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The public policy dynamics in each country, let alone a particular region can be very different, demonstrated by the different experts we utilize in the countries where we operate. Conversely, there are similarities and you can see this in some of the issues we have picked out: labour/union policy in the US and China; gambling legislation for the EU and Japan; and environmental law in Brazil and China.

Hot Issues are designed to give you a flavor of our global perspective and should any of the items raise particular interest with you please contact the designated person listed with that issue.

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