European Health Union
Initiative and Manifesto
The Manifesto for a European Health Union addresses three issues:
It calls on the political leaders of Europe in the framework of the Conference on the Future of Europe to commit to creating a European Health Union (EHU).
It invites the people of Europe to engage in building a health policy that contributes to the long-term sustainable development of the European Union (EU). Commitment to progress should not be framed just by the necessity to fight COVID-19 within the framework created by existing European Treaties. Rather it should be framed by the necessity to show the people of Europe that our Union is there to protect us all. The pandemic has created a window of opportunity to take strong public action to build a Union where the lives and health of everyone matters.
The Manifesto sets out a vision of a EHU (with goals, policies, measures, principles) developed by the signatories of the Manifesto. We need to build a EHU where all people are as healthy as they can be throughout their lives.
Watch 'The case for a European Health Union' here, and visit europeanhealthunion.eu to sign the Manifesto.
Webinars and Podcasts
EHU Podcast: The Political Determinants of Health
22 November 2022
Within the discipline of public health, it is commonly understood that health outcomes are influenced by more than genetics and behaviour. Many health problems can be linked to a political determinant that created and is perpetuating health inequities across Europe. There is trouble, as we experienced during the pandemic, when politics suppresses professional rationalities. The completion of the European Health Union requires a series of national and EU decisions, and there is concern that the process started in 2020 has slowed down. In this episode of the "European Health Union - Now!" podcast, Dorli Kahr-Gottlieb speaks with MEP István Ujhelyi and Mihály Kökény, Former Minister for Health of Hungary, both of whom are champions of the European Health Union initiative.
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EHU Podcast: A European Health Literate Union
16 August 2022
The field of health literacy has seen increased attention over the past decade with the number of networks and institutions working in this area growing. Yet, a significant number of the European population reports below optimal levels of health literacy, with large discrepancies between countries.
What do we know about the value of health literacy? And how can we achieve higher degrees of health literacy in the population? In this episode of the 'European Health Union Now!' podcast, Dorli Kahr-Gottlieb speaks with Kristine Sørensen, Founder of the Global Health Literacy Academy, President of the International Health Literacy Association, and a European Health Union initiative champion.
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EHU Podcast: Towards a European Health Union – A conversation with Vytenis Andriukaitis
04 February 2022
In her September 2020 State of the Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a European Health Union as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Welcoming the Commission’s proposal, a Manifesto was drafted by the European Health Union initiative, which proposes a more ambitious model of a European Health Union and calls on the political leaders of Europe to commit to creating a solidaric, equitable and people-centred European Health Union.
To delve further into the initiative and its goals, episode six of the ‘European Health Union Now’ podcast sees host Dorli Kahr-Gottlieb speak with one of the lead initiators of the group, Vytenis Andriukaitis.
Vytenis is a former Minister of Health of Lithuania, and he was European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety between 2014 and 2019. Vytenis is WHO Special Envoy for the European region.
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EHU Podcast: A Stronger Europe for Rare Diseases
6 December 2021
The fifth episode of the “European Health Union – Now!” podcast series looks at the situation of rare disease patients in Europe, what it means to live on the wrong side of the border, why orphan drugs are a different kind of animal, and what collaborative partnerships are needed to improve the situation of patients.
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EHU Podcast: Do we need a Treaty change for a true European Health Union?
17 June 2021
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Union (EU) has often been criticised for not having reacted strongly enough and for not having taken more leadership in coordinating the response. On the other hand, the pioneering efforts around the negotiations and the purchasing of the COVID-19 vaccines have showcased that coordinated action of all EU Member States is not only possible but necessary in times of a pandemic. Yet, the EU is limited in what it can do regarding health under the current Treaty, and the COVID-19 pandemic has starkly revealed the weaknesses in the division of powers and competences between the EU and its Member States.
In this episode, European Health Union (EHU) initiators Dorli Kahr-Gottlieb and Anniek de Ruijter discuss the recently published position paper, by EHU initiative members, calling for for a Treaty change in order to fully reach a EHU.
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EHU PODCAST: A European Health Union for the people - civil society at the heart of Europe's future
7 June 2021
Civil society has played a crucial role in advocating for better health in the EU during the COVID-19 crisis – but had already done that before. As we are moving towards a European Health Union (EHU) that works for all Europeans, strong partnerships and collaboration with civil society organisations are needed. Civil society organisations can play a fundamental role in bridging the gap between the EU and its citizens, thereby helping to make the EHU a truly transformative European effort.
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EHU PODCAST: Facing tomorrow’s health threats - a strong ECDC for a resilient Europe
6 May 2021
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthening Europe’s resilience against current and future health threats has become a hot item on political agendas, as well as an essential concern for citizens.
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EHU Animatic: The case for a European Health Union
15 April 2021
"Health is not everything, but without health, everything is nothing", said 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. Fast forward to 2021, and this old truth is painfully obvious. We must make a joint effort to refashion our health systems from the ground up until together we are fireproof.
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TOWARDS A EUROPEAN HEALTH UNION: Have we failed to protect Europe's people?
11 March 2021
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grip the continent, it is hard to deny that our collective failings during the crisis have been massive. Fault lines in the current model of European collaboration are standing out starkly again in the struggle for timely and equitable vaccine roll-outs.
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EHU PODCAST: Vaccine nationalism - where is the solidarity now?
6 February 2021
Europe seems to have forgotten that nobody is safe until everyone is safe. Does the current era of vaccine nationalism and its concomitant failure to demonstrate solidarity put a European Health Union at risk?
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TOWARDS A EUROPEAN HEALTH UNION: A vision for more EU in health
9 December 2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact Europe and the world, the need for European cohesion and global solidarity in health has never been stronger. Building on the conversations started in the EHFG webinar series Gastein goes online: Policy debates during the pandemic, we are proud to present our first webinar in the framework of the European Health Union (EHU) initiative: Towards a European Health Union: A vision for more EU in health, which took place on December 9th 10:00 – 11:00 AM CET.
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Get in touch
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