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The most important news about health equity, wellbeing, and their determinants.
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Health Highlights
Welcome to Health Highlights, EuroHealthNet's monthly newsletter. We bring you the most important news and information about health, equity, wellbeing, and their determinants.
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European Commission unveils 2026 work programme
Upcoming EU priorities include housing, poverty, climate and environment, and digital wellbeing
The Commission's 2026 Work Programme focuses on strengthening the EU’s independence and competitiveness through simplification and the full realisation of the Single Market. A new initiative on short-term rentals is planned, alongside a European Affordable Housing Plan, to stimulate public support and attract private investment for affordable and sustainable housing. The EU Anti-Poverty Strategy is set to address structural causes of exclusion and strengthen support services, backed by a reinforced Child Guarantee, including investments and reforms to tackle child poverty.
The Circular Economy Act and the Clean Industrial Deal are planned to advance sustainability and reduce resource dependencies. The Global Health Resilience Initiative will be adopted to enhance preparedness for future health threats. The Digital Fairness Act and an Action Plan against cyberbullying will be taken forward to improve the online safety of children.
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EU ministers push forward equality and inclusion agenda
Council adopts conclusions on violence against women and disability inclusion, and reviews new LGBTIQ+ equality strategy
At the 17 October meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council, equality ministers discussed the European Commission’s new LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026–2030, which seeks to combat hate, violence, and discrimination and strengthen legal protection and inclusion across Member States.
Ministers also adopted Conclusions on violence against women and domestic violence, which call for stronger prevention, early detection, intervention, and education in supporting victims. The Council further approved the draft Conclusions on the social inclusion of persons with disabilities. It emphasises independent living, accessibility, and full participation in society.
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European Parliament discusses EU mental health strategy and disease prevention
MEPs call for a holistic and well-funded strategy, addressing root causes
At the European Parliament plenary session on 9 October, ahead of World Mental Health Day, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) called for stronger EU action to address the rising rates of mental health conditions, particularly among young people. MEP Vytenis Andriukaitis (S&D) urged the European Commission to develop a coherent, cross-sectoral mental health strategy that integrates education, digital policy, and employment. Tomislav Sokol (EPP) emphasised the need for funding to better understand the causes of mental illness and to address harmful online content.
Meanwhile, the Commission announced plans for an expert advisory panel to guide an EU-wide inquiry into the impact of social media on young people’s mental health.
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EU Economic Council discusses tobacco tax reform
Finance ministers discuss EU tobacco taxation rules, WHO highlights alarming e-cigarette trends
At the 10 October Economic and Financial Affairs Council, national ministers discussed the European Commission’s proposal for the revision of the Tobacco Taxation Directive which will revise rates of excise duty applied to tobacco products. The Netherlands, Spain, and Denmark support the reform, and Belgium and Ireland favour higher taxes on new tobacco products.
The discussions coincided with a new WHO report showing the European Region leads the world in tobacco and nicotine use: 14% of adolescents aged 13–15 use e-cigarettes (three times higher than adults).
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“The science is clear: Smart alcohol policies can prevent cancer”
WHO/Europe and IARC present new IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention
At a high-level event in Copenhagen, WHO/Europe and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released Volume 20 of the IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention, providing the strongest evidence yet that alcohol control policies save lives and money. The review shows that taxation, restricted availability, and marketing bans effectively reduce alcohol consumption and related cancer risks. WHO and IARC urge governments to adopt proven measures now to reduce preventable cancers.
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EuroHealthNet Partnership
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EuroHealthNet launches flagship report on social inequalities in health
EuroHealthNet and CHAIN launched their new report, Social inequalities in health in the EU, at a high-level debate in the European Parliament. The debate was hosted by the EP Group on Health Inequalities, Prevention and Risk Factors and featured Professor Sir Michael Marmot. The findings were also presented to the SANT Committee, chaired by MEP Adam Jarubas.
The report, based on European Social Survey data, shows no progress in reducing health inequalities over the past decade. While gaps between countries appear to narrow, this reflects nations 'meeting in the middle' rather than overall improvement.
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Registrations open! ‘From Awareness to Action: Making Every School a Health Promoting School’
Health Promoting Schools create healthy educational and social environments, boosting young people’s academic, physical, mental, and social development. Led by EuroHealthNet, Schools4Health aims to further strengthen the Health Promoting School model.
Join us on 2 December for the Schools4Health conference, which will bring together experts, policymakers, and schools to explore the benefits of HPS, share successful country examples, and highlight links to EU and WHO priorities. Participants can join in person in Brussels or via the livestream.
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A call for a stronger health and equity focus across upcoming EU plans
EuroHealthNet has provided input for EU initiatives on social rights, poverty, and housing in response to public consultations.
It called for the upcoming, updated European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) Action Plan to focus on reducing health inequalities as well as strengthening investments in social and health systems.
For the development of the Anti-Poverty Strategy, it urges a comprehensive approach that tackles structural inequalities, ensures adequate income and access to services, and embeds health promotion as an anti-poverty measure.
As for the upcoming Affordable Housing Plan, the response highlights the link between housing and health and calls for affordable, quality, and sustainable housing to reduce health inequalities.
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New flashcards explore European principles on employment and social protection
EuroHealthNet’s EPSR Flashcard Tool helps public health professionals and decision-makers contribute to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR). New flashcards have now been made available, covering principle 4 on active support to employment, principle 7 on information on employment conditions and dismissal, and principle 12 on social protection.
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European Health Forum Gastein: Rethinking solidarity in health
The 2025 European Health Forum Gastein focused on solidarity in health and Europe’s fractured social contract. EuroHealthNet colleagues moderated sessions on health for people in vulnerable situations and on social, green, and arts prescriptions for health. EuroHealthNet also spoke in a session organised by the European Climate and Health Observatory and the European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation on climate change and health inequalities.
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EuroHealthNet responds to consultations
Read all our consultation responses here.
Open consultations:
- EU Anti-Poverty Strategy – 24 October
- Digital Fairness Act – 24 October
- Union prevention, preparedness, and response plan for health crises – 29 October
- Tobacco taxation – excise duties for manufactured tobacco products – 31 October
- Revision of State aid rules for better access to affordable housing – 4 November
- Circular Economy Act – 6 November
- EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) for civil protection, preparedness and response to crises – 7 November
- EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) for competitiveness - 12 November
- EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) for cross-border education, training and solidarity, young people, media, culture, and creative sectors, values, and civil society – 25 November
- European Sport Model – 8 December
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Across Europe, new initiatives promote healthy digital habits among children.
EuroHealthNet member agencies are stepping up efforts to promote safe and balanced screen use among children. In Sweden, new data show that digital media use among 9–12-year-olds is decreasing, partly due to national screen time recommendations set by the Public Health Agency and increased parental awareness. The agency will soon publish further guidance for parents and professionals. The Ministry of Health of Slovakia has also issued expert guidelines that set age-based limits on internet and smartphone use.
Looking to establish new guidelines, the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the National Board of Education have opened consultations on new digital recommendations for 0–13-year-olds.
Meanwhile, data from Santé publique France reveal social inequalities in screen time among children in France: those from less advantaged families spend significantly more time in front of screens and gain access to devices earlier.
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Czech data: poor diet and noise pollution are harming health
The Czech National Institute of Public Health has published its Health and Environment Monitoring Report 2024, which reveals widespread nutrient deficiencies across different age groups. In particular, only 4% of children eat the recommended five daily servings of fruit and vegetables. This number is especially low among poorer families. Road noise also contributes to rising heart disease cases in the general population.
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Sustainable healthcare facilities: lessons from Austria
The latest video in EuroHealthNet’s series on climate, health, and the built environment explores how healthcare facilities can adapt and transform to reduce emissions and promote wellbeing. The video was created in collaboration with the experts from the Austrian National Public Health Institute and features the Barmherzigen Bruder Wien hospital in Vienna to showcase practical steps towards creating a healthy and sustainable environment for patients and staff.
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New framework helps assess the impact of air and noise pollution on vulnerable communities
The BEST-COST initiative has developed a framework to assess how air and traffic-related noise pollution disproportionately affect vulnerable communities. The package offers tools to support more equitable environmental health policies. A new factsheet explains BEST-COST’s work and the burden of disease caused by air and noise pollution.
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More news from the Partnership
- EuroHealthNet organised a webinar on healthy ageing as a pathway to reducing long-term care needs, with interventions from the European Commission, the World Health Organization, and national experts. The webinar was built on the policy brief on healthy ageing.
- This week marks the kick-off of REMESOS, a EuroHealthNet-led initiative aiming to find expert agreement on the most appropriate way to measure population mental health, while also implementing a community mental health intervention.
- EuroHealthNet partnered with 19 organisations to urge the European Commission to place healthy, affordable, and sustainable diets at the centre of the forthcoming EU Cardiovascular Health Plan. The joint letter calls for structural measures such as food reformulation, front-of-pack labelling and fiscal incentives.
- EuroHealthNet joined over 50 European organisations, calling for the next EU long-term budget (2028–2034) to safeguard and strengthen funding for social inclusion and poverty reduction.
- 14 organisations, including EuroHealthNet, sent a joint letter to EU Presidents and Heads of State ahead of their meeting to discuss the EU’s climate ambition beyond 2030. The letter urges EU leaders to place people’s health at the core of future climate agreements.
- In the Eurohealth Gastein special issue, SP-EU and Arts on Prescription projects co-authored an article on ‘Social, green and arts prescriptions for health.’ The piece explores how linking people to non-clinical, community-based activities can support well-being and ease pressures on healthcare systems.
- Spain’s Ministries of Health and Culture have signed an agreement to embed cultural participation into primary healthcare and mental health care. The initiative promotes cultural prescription via the ‘Localiza Salud tool’, joint training for professionals, and shared cultural–health projects.
- Austria’s Competence Centre for the Future of Health Promotion (GÖG) has launched the Platform for Health and Quality of Life in Old Age to support Austria’s preventive health goals by providing regional data, evidence-based good practices, and tools to help professionals plan and evaluate healthy ageing measures.
- The Basque Government has introduced a new consultation system that enables a secure, two-way communication between health professionals and social services for managing complex cases, ensuring people receive integrated, person-centred care without navigating separate systems.
- A new modelling study by Public Health Scotland and Sciensano projects that by 2040, 3.3 million adults in Scotland will be overweight, including 1.6 million living with obesity. This would be a significant rise since 2019, especially among women and older adults.
- The Norwegian Directorate of Health has updated its calculator estimating healthcare cost savings and disease burden reduction from increased physical activity. It demonstrates that even small daily activity gains can yield significant savings and add healthy life years.
- The Public Health Agency of Sweden has prohibited a manufacturer from using the label ‘Protection of the gums’ on tobacco-free nicotine pouches. The decision upholds Sweden’s strict rules against misleading health claims on nicotine products.
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News from the Institutions
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EU ministers endorse the “Jutland Declaration” to better protect minors online
At an informal Council meeting in Horsens, Denmark, EU digital ministers agreed on a joint declaration which calls for stronger EU action to protect minors online. The ‘Jutland Declaration: Shaping a Safe Online World for Minors’, led by the Danish Presidency, urges the Commission to introduce EU-wide age verification rules for social media and tackle addictive design and harmful digital practices. Ministers also discussed establishing a digital age of majority and ensuring privacy-preserving verification systems.
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WHO calls for urgent cost-effective prevention measures
At the World Health Summit, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged governments not to wait for the adoption of the stalled UN Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases, but to act now by implementing WHO’s Best Buys: low-cost, high-impact measures proven to save lives. The new WHO report, ‘Saving lives, spending less: the global investment case for NCDs’, highlights the economic and social benefits of scaling up these interventions.
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Commission launches Apply AI Strategy towards making the EU an ‘AI Continent’
The European Commission has launched the Apply AI Strategy. The strategy aims to boost AI innovation and adoption. It includes sectoral flagships to drive AI uptake across ten areas, including in healthcare. A new Apply AI Alliance and AI Observatory will coordinate implementation and monitor sectoral impacts.
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“Healthcare plays a significant role in reducing inequality and poverty”
A new European Commission report highlights that public healthcare systems significantly reduce poverty and income inequality across the EU. The study finds that healthcare coverage lowers inequality by up to 4.5 Gini points and reduces poverty by up to 8 percentage points. These in-kind benefits are particularly crucial for people with disabilities, chronic conditions, and low-income households. The report provides Member States with a practical toolkit to assess the distributional impact of healthcare reforms and design policies that strengthen equity and social cohesion.
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“My Voice, My Choice” campaign advances at the EU level
Organisers of the European citizens’ initiative “My Voice, My Choice” met with Commissioner Hadja Lahbib to discuss creating an EU fund to support women who cannot access abortion care in their own country. The initiative gathered over one million signatures. A public hearing in the European Parliament will follow, and the Commission’s response is expected by March 2026.
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What we are reading...
Alcohol A Reuters investigation reveals how major alcohol producers lobbied governments to weaken WHO-backed measures on alcohol control in the new UN health agreement.
Alcohol & drugs The Global Burden of Disease 2023 report shows an “emerging crisis” among teenagers and young adults: rising deaths linked to alcohol, drugs, violence, and suicide. Between 2011 and 2023, mortality rates among 15–19-year-olds and 20–24-year-olds in Eastern Europe rose by 54% and 40%, respectively - The Lancet
Alcohol & nicotine In Denmark, one in three shops sells alcohol or nicotine products to minors, despite legal age limits. The Danish Safety Technology Authority’s pilot scheme with young controlled buyers is now extended until 2028, with reduced first-time fines – Ministry of Interior and Health
Cancer The , finding significant delays and gaps in its implementation, especially in tackling tobacco and alcohol consumption. The study also shows persistent inequalities in cancer prevention and care across Member States.
Cardiovascular health Diseases of the circulatory system accounted for 32.4% of all deaths in the EU in 2022. The highest shares were recorded in Bulgaria and Romania, where they caused over half of all deaths - Eurostat
Climate change A new UNICEF global evidence review links the climate crisis directly to worsening child malnutrition. By 2050, climate change could leave 28 million more children suffering from wasting and 40 million from stunting, while also driving up childhood obesity through declining food quality and increased ultra-processed diets.
Climate change The European Environment Agency’s latest State of the Environment report provides a comprehensive assessment of Europe’s progress on environment, climate, and sustainability. It reviews trends and policy progress across 35 themes and 38 countries.
Diet A randomised controlled nutrition trial found that diets high in ultra-processed foods negatively affect body weight, cholesterol balance, and reproductive hormones, independent of total calorie intake – Cell Metabolism
Employment The latest report from the European Commission’s DG Employment analyses how to address labour shortages and strengthen labour market participation in the EU by unlocking the potential of women, older people, and migrants.
Employment An OECD report finds persistent gender gaps in paid and unpaid work and examines the social, economic, and institutional barriers that sustain them. It outlines policy options to promote fairer labour markets, shared caregiving responsibilities, and greater gender equality.
Food A recent report by the AFN Network+ outlines how the UK can transform its food system to meet climate goals and build resilience to shocks like pandemics and extreme weather. Its five key messages call for smarter land use, stronger farming, making healthier diets the easier option, and joined-up action.
Funding A new study in the Journal of Translational Medicine reveals that only a small share of EU-funded biomedical projects under FP7, Horizon 2020, and Horizon Europe focus on prevention; just 1.9% under the current framework.
Living conditions Eurostat’s European Living Conditions 2025 report shows that 3.2% of EU children had unmet medical care needs in 2024. The rate was 4.2% among children in households below the poverty threshold, compared with 3.0% above it.
Mental health A new OECD report finds that mild-to-moderate depression affects one in five adults across OECD and EU countries. The report outlines eleven best practice interventions that improve mental wellbeing and deliver measurable health and economic benefits, including Icehearts Europe.
Mental health Eurostat latest data shows that mental and behavioural disorders caused 4.1% of all EU deaths in 2022: dementia accounts for 84% of cases, and alcohol use is the second leading cause, especially among people under 65.
Mental health A recent WHO/Europe survey of over 90,000 doctors and nurses from 29 European countries reveals alarming levels of poor mental health among health workers. One in three reports depression or anxiety, and one in ten has had suicidal thoughts in the past two weeks.
Obesity Italy has become the first country to recognise obesity as a disease by law. The new legislation establishes an Observatory for the Study of Obesity, introduces dedicated funding for prevention and awareness campaigns, and includes obesity services within the Essential Levels of Assistance – TrendSanita
Taxation Ireland’s 2026 budget raises the price of a pack of cigarettes by €0.50, while excise duties on alcohol remain unchanged. Public health groups criticised the measures as insufficient to reduce smoking and drinking harms – RTÉ
Tobacco & vapes A new WHO global report finds that while the number of tobacco users has declined significantly, one in five adults worldwide is still addicted to tobacco. The report also warns that children aged 13–15 are on average nine times more likely than adults to vape.
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EuroHealthNet is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of EuroHealthNet only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
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