Our 2024 impact, our 2025 plans
The start of the new year is the perfect moment to appreciate the collaboration with our many partners and to thank you for your commitment to a healthier, more inclusive, and sustainable Europe! It is also an opportunity to celebrate our Partnership’s achievements in 2024 and to tell you more about our exciting plans for 2025.
We advocated for a healthier, more inclusive, and sustainable Europe
In June 2024, 182 million Europeans went out to vote for their new European Parliament. The elections came at a crucial moment, stressing the need to address pressing challenges, including growing inequalities, climate change, and conflict.
While the new College of Commissioners was taking shape, EuroHealthNet called on the European Commission to:
- prioritise health in the EU Strategic Agenda
- adopt a Health in All Policies approach to all upcoming EU initiatives
- use social participation and citizen engagement in policymaking to improve efficiency, transparency and trust.
EuroHealthNet’s advocacy efforts built on the findings of our Foresight study, which identified key public health challenges for Europe in 2035. Additionally, delegates from our member institutes participated in a study visit on EU decision-making in Brussels to better engage with the EU in the new legislative period (2024-2029).
Our plenary session at the 2024 European Public Health Conference explored tackling health inequalities in times of crisis and why urgent policy action across sectors is essential.
At the 74th WHO Regional Committee for Europe we advocated for (1) a stronger commitment to health promotion as part of sustainable health systems and (2) an increased focus on mental health as part of emergency preparedness and response in the WHO European Region 2024–2029.
We promoted an economy that prioritises wellbeing
Our economic system is failing to deliver health and wellbeing for all. The European Semester process, as the main economic governance tool of the European Union (EU), should be used to change that, spurring a transition to a 'Wellbeing Economy'.
We published resources that will concretely help make this vision a reality, including:
- Our Wellbeing Economy report, written with the Institute of Public Health in Ireland.
- Our latest analysis, policy summary, and scientific paper on how to achieve Wellbeing Economies through the European Semester.
Unhealthy industries, including alcohol, tobacco, and ultra-processed foods, are making record profits at the expense of public health and the wellbeing of people and the planet. EuroHealthNet reaffirmed its commitment to addressing these so-called commercial determinants of health as part of a Wellbeing Economy approach.
In November 2024, we published a EuroHealthNet Magazine focused on public health actors’ work to address commercial determinants and co-organised a scientific symposium on reducing the burden of alcohol consumption with Santé publique France.
Tip: keep an eye on our channels for our upcoming Policy Précis on ultra-processed foods!
A year full of exchange and collaboration
Under the leadership of our new president, Suzanne Costello, the EuroHealthNet Partnership grew to a total of 82 members, associate members, and observers. It now covers 25 EU Member states and 31 European countries in total, creating even more opportunities for collaboration.
A 2024 highlight was our annual seminar in Utrecht, hosted by our Dutch members RIVM and Trimbos. More than 400 online and in-person participants gathered to discuss the latest policies and research on mental wellbeing and behavioural insights to improve health equity in Europe.
In June 2024, members were hosted by Public Health Scotland to learn about preventing child poverty. In November, they gathered for an exchange about reducing the use of tobacco and nicotine-based products, hosted by the Hungarian National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy (NNGYK).
Highlights to look out for in 2025
2025 promises to be another eventful year, with many highlights, working together and responding to the challenges we are facing for a healthier future for all.
- We will start working on two new initiatives:
- ‘SP-EU’: A study on social prescribing to promote access to health and care services for people in vulnerable situations in Europe.
- ‘SPRING 3.0’: An initiative using sports to tackle multifaceted problems faced by displaced refugees in Turkey, exacerbated by the earthquake in February 2023.
- Join us on 11 June 2025 in Brussels for our Annual Seminar, focusing on climate change and health.
- The seminar will be followed by EuroHealthNet’s General Council on 12-13 June.
- In September, we will organise a high-level event in Brussels to launch our new report on social inequalities in health in Europe, as well as to connect research with EU policymaking. The report is being produced by the EuroHealthNet Partnership in cooperation with the Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research (CHAIN).
- In November, we will organise a conference on health promoting schools, as part of the Schools4Health initiative.
- This year, we will publish the final flashcards in our popular European Pillar of Social Rights Flashcard Tool, which helps public health professionals use the EU’s social initiatives to advance their work on health equity.
Thank you!
We are grateful for the core grant we received from the European Union through the European Social Fund Plus for 2022-2025.
Most importantly, we thank you once again for your support. Together, we have and will ensure to continue making a significant impact on health and wellbeing in Europe!
Related resources
An Economy of Wellbeing for health equity
Fostering a transition towards healthier, more inclusive, and sustainable societies.
European Pillar of Social Rights Flashcard Tool
A guide for public health professionals and decision-makers.
A European Semester for the wellbeing of people and the planet
Key findings from EuroHealthNet’s assessment of the 2024 Semester through a health equity and wellbeing lens.