Tackling the societal challenges for health

There is no better time than now to reflect on what the European Commission and the European Parliament could achieve for health at EU level. Health is a significant asset for Europe, but it is clear that despite facing shared challenges, the EU does not capitalise sufficiently on its health assets.

In 2014, Friends of Europe convened a Health Working Group in order to address the much needed changes to Europe’s health systems and policymaking. This working group brought together a diverse group of stakeholders from across Europe representing policymakers at EU and national level, international organisations, academia, health-related industries and non-governmental organisations.

The final report of this Health Working Group Adapting EU health policy to an evolving Europe, which is now presented and discussed with EU Commissioner for Health & Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis, features 21 key recommendations on what the EU should ‘Start’, ‘Stop’ or ‘Do Differently’ during this new mandate to improve the health status of Europeans.