Brussels- Condoms and clean needles are the best way to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, the European Commission said Monday as it renewed its strategy on fighting the sexually-transmitted disease.

A "correct and consistent use of condoms remains the most effective means of HIV prevention through sexual transmission, and provision of sterile needles and injecting equipment and substitution treatment are the most effective means of HIV prevention through injecting drug use," the commission said in a communication to national governments and the European Parliament.

Both recommendations remain contentious in EU member states with strong Catholic or conservative roots, such as Italy, Ireland or Poland.

The Vatican, for instance, favours sexual abstinence as the ideal strategy, since it questions the conventional view that condoms are safe. Prohibitionists, meanwhile, argue that distributing clean needles could justify the use of illegal drugs.

According to data provided by the EU executive in Brussels, the number of Europeans living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has increased at a worrying rate since 2001, from 1.5 million to 2.2 million in 2007.

About 730,000 of these live within the 27-member EU, with about 3,000 deaths reported each year.

Infection rates are even higher in Russia, while a total of 50,000 deaths occur annually in the bloc's Eastern neighbourhood.

The commission is calling for a three-pronged approach based on improving prevention and testing; targeting high-risk groups such as homosexuals, drug-users and immigrants; and focusing on those parts of Europe where AIDS has spread the most.

In order to meet their objective of reducing new HIV infections by 2013, EU national governments should improve public awareness campaigns, especially those targeted at younger people and migrants.

Moreover, more efforts are needed to eliminate the stigma associated with the disease, which often prevents people from undergoing testing.

At the same time, the commission continues to promote a "clean needles policy", EU health spokeswoman Nina Papadoulaki said.

According to commission figures, about 40 per cent of all new infections in the EU involve men having had sex with other men.

Meanwhile, some 30 per cent of those with HIV are unaware of the fact that they have contracted the virus.

"We need to encourage people to take responsibility for themselves and their partners by talking about and practicing safe sex and going for HIV testing," said EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou.

"However, this needs to go hand in hand with the respect for the human rights and non discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS," the commissioner said.

While the commission is not making any additional money available, it says stakeholders in both member states and in their Eastern neighbourhood could benefit from sharing data and medical know-how. (dpa)