Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
BBC News - Wednesday, 8 September, 2004
Oana Lungescu, BBC correspondent in Brussels
A new EU report says rates of new infections in some Eastern European states that have recently joined the bloc are now the highest in the world.
It also says the proportion of new HIV cases has doubled in Western Europe in the last decade.
The report by the European Commission will be debated at an international conference in Lithuania next week.
'Tackling crisis'
Europe is becoming the new frontline in the global battle against Aids.
"This is not just a problem for Africa," European Commissioner Pavel Telicka said. "We have a serious epidemic beginning to resurface right here in parts of Europe."
Russia and Eastern European countries, many of which have joined the EU or will do so in the next few years, have the fastest rate of growth of Aids anywhere in the world, mainly caused by the sharp rise in the number of intravenous drug users.
Earlier this year, the United Nations Aids agency criticised the EU for failing to tackle the crisis.
Mr Telicka called on EU health ministers to show political leadership at the Lithuania conference, by improving co-ordination, investing more in prevention and making better use of $1.5bn (ú840m) that the EU has set aside to fight communicable diseases like Aids, malaria and tuberculosis.
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