TWIGs, working groups & alliances
EuroHealthNet works with many European and global organisations and networks to maximise its impact in the public health and social arena. Among our most important collaborations is our Memorandum of Understanding with WHO Europe.
Thematic Working Groups (TWIGs)
Thematic Working Groups (TWIGs) provide a space for EuroHealthNet Members and Associate Members to exchange and work together on a specific topic of mutual interest. It to brings together specialists on key subjects chosen by Members so they can stay up-to-date, pool knowledge, and build common positions.
TWIGs are member-led, whereby one or more Members set the agenda, chair meetings and lead on jointly agreed activities. EuroHealthNet provides coordination and technical support by hosting and minuting meetings, facilitating communication amongst Members, and providing input from and taking relevant action at the EU level.
Mental health
The TWIG on prevention of mental ill-health and promotion of mental wellbeing aims to foster sustained international collaboration between public health institutions and professionals. Led by the Dutch Trimbos Institute, the TWIG facilitates exchange on mental health, with a particular focus on its social determinants.
Health-promoting schools
The TWIG on health-promoting schools (HPS) seeks to improve wellbeing in education by applying the principles of the HPS framework.
This evidence-based approach highlights the importance of healthy physical and social environments, essential skills, strong community partnerships, meaningful involvement from students and staff, and access to necessary health services.
Social participation
The TWIG on social participation and citizen engagement responds to the WHO call to strengthen social participation in health systems, and builds on EuroHealthNet’s Policy Précis on promoting health equity through social participation and citizen engagement’ (October 2024) and the outcomes of EuroHealthNet’s 2025 Country Exchange Visit ‘Social Participation and Youth Engagement for Better Health’.
Commercial determinants of health
The TWIG on commercial determinants of health (CDoH) represents a concrete step to strengthen collective capacity and to collect evidence to address the commercial factors that impact health, with a specific focus on the perspective of public health institutes in Europe. It aims to build shared policy intelligence and practical tools for action, strengthen institutional capacity across countries, and support the translation of CDoH evidence into policy and implementation at EU, national and local levels.
Social, arts, and green prescribing
The TWIG on social, arts and green prescribing aims to strengthen the connections between research, policy and practice in social prescribing, with a focus on social, arts and green prescribing as tools for health promotion and wellbeing. Central to this is a commitment to scientific rigour and evidence-based action, including shared standards and guiding principles for quality social prescribing practice that can inform the design, implementation and evaluation of initiatives.
Past TWIGs
Our networks
Communications Network
EuroHealthNet’s Communications Network brings together communications professionals from across our member organisations to exchange expertise, share experiences, and explore practical tools for public health communications across Europe. It helps members raise interests and concerns at an international level and increases awareness of initiatives at European, national, and regional levels.
Partnerships and alliances
EuroHealthNet builds and participates in partnerships and alliances with a wide range of organisations working across public health and social affairs. This amplifies our call for better health, equity and wellbeing for all.
Memorandum of Understanding between EuroHealthNet and WHO Europe
EuroHealthNet is an accredited non-state actor at the World Health Organization Europe, where it participates as an observer in Regional Committee sessions and submits written and oral statements.
The EuroHealthNet office has been involved in various activities co-organised with WHO offices in Copenhagen, Venice, and Bonn, including the European Healthy Cities Network, climate change and health, and healthy ageing.
The European Network for Health-Promoting Schools
The European Network for Health-Promoting Schools (ENHPS) brings together Ministries of Health and Education, public health experts, and partner organisations to strengthen and expand the health-promoting schools (HPS) approach across the WHO European Region. The ENHPS Secretariat is hosted by WHO/Europe, supported by EuroHealthNet and the WHO Collaborating Centre on Global Health and Education (hosted by the University of Clermont Auvergne), which also serves as the UNESCO Chair Global Health and Education.
The European Alliance for Investing in Children
The European Alliance for Investing in Children promotes effective, child-centred policies and practice to tackle child poverty and promote child wellbeing.
As part of the Alliance, EuroHealthNet plays an active role in continuing efforts to identify and spread the best policy entry points for effective, sustainable and timely implementation of the provisions outlined in the European Commission’s Recommendation on Investing in Children.(opens in new tab)
The Centre for Health Equity Analytics
The Centre for Health Equity Analytics (CHAIN) brings together researchers across the globe and research disciplines to advance the state of the art. It offers new insights from social, laboratory-based and natural experiments into the causal mechanisms linking socioeconomic status and health. It brings together academia, the UN system, civil society and the private sector in a common organisational body to reduce the distance between research, policy and practice.
EuroHealthNet was a partner in CHAIN’s Global Health Inequalities project (2019-2025), which aspired to make CHAIN a world-leading centre and research network for the international study of global health inequalities.
CHAIN and EuroHealthNet also collaborated on a review of health inequalities in Europe, captured in the 2025 report 'Social inequalities in health: are countries closing the gap?'.
South-Eastern European Health Network
The South-Eastern European Health Network (SEEHN) is a political and institutional forum aiming to promote peace, reconciliation and health in South-Eastern Europe.
Set up by the governments of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Network provides leadership and helps sustain project ownership by the countries in the region.
EuroHealthNet and SEEHN have a Memorandum of Understanding and cooperate to improve public health in South-Eastern Europe.
Read about our projects and Joint Actions
