What we are reading...

Air quality Europe’s air quality continued to improve in 2025, with sustained regulation and cleaner technologies driving down emissions from industry, transport, and heating. However, heatwaves and wildfires increasingly trigger severe pollution episodes and undermine progress - Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service

Alcohol the Health Council of the Netherlands advises the government that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption; even low levels increase the risk of several cancers and other harms.

Climate change The Joint Research Centre’s assessment of more than 10,000 European municipalities finds progress on cutting emissions and adapting to climate risks, but current plans remain insufficient to meet 2030 targets.

Climate change The Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health sets out 17 recommendations to accelerate climate action for health, including ending fossil fuel subsidies, strengthening climate-resilient health systems, and prioritising people most vulnerable to climate impacts. It frames climate action as an investment in health, equity and societal resilience – The Lancet

Commercial determinants of health A global investigation found 235 lawsuits challenging policies on unhealthy food in five countries since 2010, three-quarters filed by food manufacturers or their trade associations. Although most resolved cases were won by governments, litigation has delayed measures such as food labels, marketing restrictions, and taxes – The Guardian

Digital health Access to electronic health records continues to improve across Europe, with the EU’s eHealth score reaching 87% in 2025. Gaps include private providers being less connected than public ones, and mental health facilities, rehabilitation centres, and nursing homes lagging behind – European Commission.

Digital spaces A Eurobarometer survey shows that young people spend an average of 4.5 hours online on school days and 6.1 hours at weekends, and 14% of adolescents report more than 10 hours of screen time a day.

Exclusion The 'When Scars Become Art' project has developed policy recommendations on discrimination, exclusion, and mental health among young Roma, migrants, and refugees. A handbook offers guidance for first points of contact working with excluded youth, and a mental health app provides culturally sensitive, stigma-free support.

Healthy ageing A long-running British birth cohort study finds that persistent financial hardship across adulthood is associated with poorer memory and processing speed by midlife and greater brain atrophy later in life. The findings suggest that preventing financial hardship from becoming chronic could also contribute to dementia prevention – Innovation in Aging

Heatwaves Italy’s emergency physicians warn that heatwaves are worsening chronic conditions while hitting socially disadvantaged people particularly hard, including older people unable to afford cooling. A ‘Heat Pathway’ developed at Naples’ CTO hospital is now informing national guidance for emergency departments to better identify and manage people at risk – TrendSanità

Mental health A randomised trial among young adults aged 18–24 with depressive symptoms found that an eight-week salsa programme led to a clinically meaningful reduction in depression compared with a waitlist, alongside greater improvements in social anxiety and daily happiness – Psychological Medicine

Mental health A European Parliamentary Research Service study finds that around one in five young people in the EU live with a diagnosable mental disorder and estimates the cost of youth mental ill-health at €1.68 trillion between 2024 and 2033. Areas for EU action include school-based mental interventions, social prescribing and community pathways, and child-centred enforcement of digital rules.

PFAS The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has updated its overview of PFAS, ‘forever chemicals’ that can accumulate in the environment and food chain. New evidence has led EFSA to lower the safe daily intake for trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a persistent breakdown product of some PFAS and pesticides.

PFAS A European Parliamentary Research Service briefing examines the growing health and environmental risks from PFAS, or ‘forever chemicals’, which are now widespread in people, soil and water. It argues that existing EU rules remain fragmented and highlights a proposed restriction covering around 10,000 PFAS as a key step towards preventing pollution at source.

Physical activity Updated UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines stress that the greatest health gains come from helping the least active people move more, with benefits starting below the recommended 150 minutes per week. They also highlight prolonged sitting as an independent health risk and call for physical activity promotion to address inequalities in inactivity.

Poverty A European Parliament study shows that large families and single-parent households face particular risks of poverty and social exclusion across the EU. It calls for better-coordinated income support and affordable childcare and services, and explores whether a European Large Family Card could improve access to benefits and discounts across Member States.

Vaccination The Czech Ministry of Health is preparing legislation to allow trained pharmacists to administer flu vaccines in pharmacies, aiming to improve access and raise vaccination coverage, which currently stands at around 8% of the population.

Women’s health Ireland’s third Women’s Health Action Plan sets out the next phase of improving women’s health, with new actions spanning general practice, cardiovascular prevention, eating disorders, endometriosis and postnatal care. It also gives greater attention to women facing health inequalities, including women in prison and those affected by period poverty.

Health Highlights