Health Highlights
 

Transforming our health systems 
WHO marks 15 years of the Tallinn Charter, European Commission publishes ‘State of Health’ Reports 

During the WHO/Europe conference 'Trust and transformation: resilient and sustainable health systems for the future', participants called for more inclusive governance and co-creation processes to promote trust and sustainable transformation. They also recognised that healthy living environments, wellbeing, and stronger health systems are a political choice.

Examining the current health systems, the European Commission’s ‘State of Health Preparedness’ Report also highlights vaccination and the ‘One Health’ approach as key components for preparedness.

The ‘State of Health in the EU’ report signals the need for action against poor mental health and growing health inequalities and the importance of continued health investments.  

Implementation is fundamental to reach 2030 climate and environmental goals 
The first progress report on the 8th Environment Action Programme 

The report published by the European Environmental Agency underscores the urgent need to finalise negotiations under the Commission’s Green Deal package to enable important systemic changes in the agricultural, food, and, mobility sectors. While progress is seen in air quality, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and green finances, more efforts are needed to facilitate these systemic challenges and safeguard wellbeing for all within planetary boundaries.  

Key recommendations include shifting the taxation burden to heavy polluters, accelerating the phase out of environmentally harmful subsidies, and encouraging more sustainable production and consumption patterns. These outcomes are based on the monitoring framework put forward by the European Commission in 2022.  

The latest EuroHealthNet magazine serves up thought-provoking insights into the impact of the food around us  

In the latest magazine edition, EuroHealthNet and its partners look into the way food systems shape our health and impact our environment.

Among other things, the articles feature the consequences of a society overwhelmed by unhealthy food options and the impact of behavioural and cultural insights on healthy food choices. It also includes the outcomes of the Best-ReMaP Joint Action on food marketing, reformulation and procurement.  

What are the health system barriers and enablers to vaccination among disadvantaged populations? 

A systemic review by RIVER-EU found that measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates among disadvantaged communities are impacted by service delivery, poor communication skills, and language barriers with the health workforce, financial costs, and feelings of discrimination.  

The RIVER-EU initiative, of which EuroHealthNet is a partner, aims to increase vaccine uptake in under-served communities within the EU.  

The ‘Escape from Poverty’ book exposes the key factors that perpetuate poverty across generations, including governmental failures to invest in children and the tendencies to blame poverty on ‘dysfunctional’ families. It sets out the importance of increasing resources to combat poverty— strengthening social protection, basic income security, and children’s access to key services.  

Latvian Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDPC) gathers experts to discuss implementing EU health promotion measures in schools and municipality 

The aim of the seminar was to inform local health-promoting networks of the activities implemented under the European Social Fund "Complex health promotion and disease prevention measures". The seminar featured findings from national research on the population’s healthy habits, perceptions of food sustainability, and mental health, as well as promising examples.  

Bulgarian National Centre for Public Health and Analysis (NCPHA) presents insights on the national implementation programme on NCDs 

As part of a roundtable discussion, NCPHA presented the core activities of the ‘National Program for the Prevention of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases 2021-2025’. Together with other stakeholders, the National Centre discussed the challenges encountered in facilitating intersectoral cooperation and the ways in which the programme can be optimised.  

EU Ministers and Parliament members commit to action on mental health, report on noncommunicable diseases gets approved

In its conclusions, the Council invited Member States to develop cross-sectoral action plans for mental health, involving health and other sectors such as employment and education. In an adopted report, the European Parliament called for a European Strategy on mental health. It also endorsed a report on noncommunicable diseases, emphasising prevention and similarly highlighting the need for European cooperation.   

Member States approve conclusions on more holistic, community-based care systems 

The Council Conclusions set out key actions on transitioning care systems to more person-centred community-based support models, underpinned by the gender perspective. Ministers invite countries to, among others, ensure that early childcare and education services are affordable, address the shortages of skilled care workers, and reinforce social protection and support for informal carers.