In December 1996, following the acceptance of the "Right Livelihood Award" George Vithoulkas was invited to visit the President of the European Parliament, Klaus Hänsch, the Commissioner for the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection, Kenneth Collins, as well as the Parliament’s committee on alternative therapies, which had been established three years earlier and the members of which had not yet reached a decision on the policy the European Union should follow on alternative medicine issues.

A few weeks after his visit, George Vithoulkas received a letter from Commissioner Collins asking him to express his opinion in writing on issues pertaining to alternative medicine.

Mr Collins brought a relevant bill for passage through the Parliament, which was voted with a vast majority. Member states were required to investigate and promote homeopathic research.

In 1998 George Vithoulkas was invited again by the Council of Europe to provide information on homeopathic medicine. Among others, the report issued by the Council contained the following: 

COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Parliamentary Assembly

Doc. 8435

11 June 1999

A European approach to non-conventional medicines

Report

Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee

Rapporteur: Ms Lara Ragnarsdóttir, Iceland, European Democratic Group

Summary

....

7. In May 1998, the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee heard Mr Vithoulkas, a homeopath who has been awarded the Alternative Nobel Prize, and who identifies three separate categories: firstly, alternative medicine, which includes homeopathy and acupuncture; secondly, complementary medicine, which includes osteopathy, chiropractic, herbal medicine, naturopathy and so on; and a third, paramedical, category comprising techniques such as music therapy and meditation which bear no relation to medicine proper.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE SPEECH