Stronger together for a healthier Europe
As we head towards the European Parliament elections in 2019, healthcare systems and citizens across Europe are facing unprecedented challenges driven by an ageing population, and increased prevalence of chronic diseases.
Research shows that 550,000 people of working age die from Non-Communicable Diseases in the EU every year. Aside from the significant impact on individual patients, their families and carers, this causes a largely avoidable loss to the EU economy of €115 billion per year, corresponding to 0.8% of GDP1.
At the same time, 70% of EU citizens would like the European Union to intervene more on health2.
Ensuring that all European citizens can live healthier lives must be a priority for the next legislative mandate. In order to discuss how Europe could lead the way in combatting these challenges and championing positive developments, 28 organisations from within and across the health community have come together to organise a multi-stakeholder EU Health Summit.
As we map the future of healthcare in Europe, the summit will examine the role of the European Union in helping European health systems to make the most of these opportunities for the benefit of citizens and patients, while following a sustainable path. Through this summit, the partners aim to distil recommendations for the next European Commission and European Parliament to bring the necessary changes about.
The summit will take place on 29 November at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Brussels. For more information, please visit our website: www.euhealthcoalition.eu.
Note to the editors
We are a group of 28 stakeholders who share a commitment to a positive future for European health.
Ahead of the EU Health Summit, the partner organisations have put together recommendations for a shared vision for the future of health in Europe, calling upon the next European Commission and European Parliament to bring about necessary changes. In their recommendations, they call for the European Commission, in particular, to have the tools and governance in place, including at high level, for ensuring a health perspective in all their policies, believing that the EU has an important role to play in ensuring a healthy future for Europe.
Please find the recommendations here: key recommendations for a healthier Europe and recommendations in full.
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1 Health at a Glance: Europe 2016, OECD
2 Eurobarometer of the European Parliament (87.1)