Disciplines
Eastern European Studies | Emergency and Disaster Management | Environmental Policy | Global Studies | Health Policy | International and Area Studies | Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures | Social Justice | Social Policy
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Delineation of the European Union’s (EU) contemporary public health agenda is examined within the evolving architecture of a ‘European Health Union.’ Five interdependent domains are synthesized: climate and planetary health, digital transformation, resilient systems and workforce development, non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention, and cross-sectoral and global leadership. Mutual reinforcement is essential for achieving equitable outcomes. The climate pillar reframes environmental disruption as a public health emergency, embedding adaptation, mitigation, and Planetary/One Health approaches across EU initiatives. The digital pillar examines the European Health Data Space and adjacent tools (telemedicine, e-prescribing, mobile health) as infrastructure for secure interoperability, research, and quality improvement. System resilience is enhanced through lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing surveillance, medical supply chains, surge capacity, and a sustainable, ethically recruited workforce. NCD analysis emphasizes the need for coordinated policies addressing tobacco, alcohol, diet, physical activity, environmental pollution, and mental health, underpinned by the EU’s current framework. A health-in-all-policies lens connects transportation, agriculture, housing, education, and social protection to health equity, while the Global Health Strategy positions the EU as a diplomatic and regulatory actor aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO) and regional partners. Collectively, the findings characterize an anticipatory, data-driven, and solidarity-based model that links domestic reform to action, policy, and security, demonstrating that progress depends on governance mechanisms that integrate evidence across directorates, cohesion instruments, and robust evaluation of distributional effects to prevent widening inequalities among member states. Policy coherence, interoperable data ecosystems, workforce investment, and meaningful civil-society engagement emerge as necessary conditions for durable gains, while transparency in digital and emergency measures remains an ethical guardrail for legitimacy. These recommendations provide a roadmap for resilient and inclusive European health governance.
Keywords: European Health Union; EU Top Public Health Priorities; Planetary Health; European Health Data Space; Health-System Resilience; Workforce; Non-Communicable Diseases; NCDs; Health-in-All-Policies; Health Equity; Global Health Strategy
Use of AI Disclaimer
no
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS – World Languages & Cultures
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Thierry Legér
Included in
Eastern European Studies Commons, Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Environmental Policy Commons, Global Studies Commons, Health Policy Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Social Justice Commons, Social Policy Commons
Defining the European Union’s Top Public Health Priorities: What Can be Gleaned From Its Multi-State Interdisciplinary Systems?
Delineation of the European Union’s (EU) contemporary public health agenda is examined within the evolving architecture of a ‘European Health Union.’ Five interdependent domains are synthesized: climate and planetary health, digital transformation, resilient systems and workforce development, non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention, and cross-sectoral and global leadership. Mutual reinforcement is essential for achieving equitable outcomes. The climate pillar reframes environmental disruption as a public health emergency, embedding adaptation, mitigation, and Planetary/One Health approaches across EU initiatives. The digital pillar examines the European Health Data Space and adjacent tools (telemedicine, e-prescribing, mobile health) as infrastructure for secure interoperability, research, and quality improvement. System resilience is enhanced through lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing surveillance, medical supply chains, surge capacity, and a sustainable, ethically recruited workforce. NCD analysis emphasizes the need for coordinated policies addressing tobacco, alcohol, diet, physical activity, environmental pollution, and mental health, underpinned by the EU’s current framework. A health-in-all-policies lens connects transportation, agriculture, housing, education, and social protection to health equity, while the Global Health Strategy positions the EU as a diplomatic and regulatory actor aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO) and regional partners. Collectively, the findings characterize an anticipatory, data-driven, and solidarity-based model that links domestic reform to action, policy, and security, demonstrating that progress depends on governance mechanisms that integrate evidence across directorates, cohesion instruments, and robust evaluation of distributional effects to prevent widening inequalities among member states. Policy coherence, interoperable data ecosystems, workforce investment, and meaningful civil-society engagement emerge as necessary conditions for durable gains, while transparency in digital and emergency measures remains an ethical guardrail for legitimacy. These recommendations provide a roadmap for resilient and inclusive European health governance.
Keywords: European Health Union; EU Top Public Health Priorities; Planetary Health; European Health Data Space; Health-System Resilience; Workforce; Non-Communicable Diseases; NCDs; Health-in-All-Policies; Health Equity; Global Health Strategy