United for health equity – Staying anchored in challenging times – EuroHealthNet Annual Report 2024/2025
Building a healthier future for all by addressing the determinants of health and reducing inequalities.
EuroHealthNet is a public partnership of organisations, institutes, and authorities workingon public health, disease prevention, promoting health and wellbeing, as well as reducing inequalities. We aim to tackle health inequalities within and between European States through action on the social determinants of health.
Structuring our work over a Policy, Practice, and Research platform, we focus on exploring and strengthening the links between these areas.
EuroHealthNet takes a broad, integrated approach to health and health equity, working on social and environmental determinants across the life course, whilst contributing to the sustainability and wellbeing of people and the planet.
This annual report describes our activities between June 2024 and May 2025.
Stable leadership, shared challenges: advancing public health together
The past year has been a pivotal one for public health, marked by a wave of elections and shifting political landscapes. During this period, the EuroHealthNet Partnership remained steadfast, offering a clear, united vision for a more sustainable, inclusive, and healthy Europe.
At a time when health no longer tops the political agenda, we continue to lead on health equity and remind leaders and institutions that health is not a luxury – it is a foundation for economic security, competitiveness, and democratic resilience. This annual report captures our Partnership’s commitment and collective strength to promote health, equity and wellbeing throughout Europe.
The 2024 Annual Seminar and General Council Meeting
Council Meeting were hosted by our members, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Trimbos Institute, in Utrecht.
The hybrid Seminar, ‘Navigating times of change for public health’, explored the latest policy and research in mental wellbeing and health behaviours to support healthier, more inclusive, and sustainable societies, even in times of change. The lineup of expert speakers, including from WHO and OECD, attracted over 400 participants.
Following the Seminar, 50 delegates from the Partnership convened for the two-day General Council Meeting. They discussed EuroHealthNet’s activities, and made progress on the Strategic Development Plan 2021-26. The meeting also marked the development of a new Ethical Framework to guide the Partnership in upholding its core principles and values in all its actions and decisions.
Strategising the Partnership’s work
In February 2025, 70 representatives from the Partnership gathered for the yearly Policy and Strategy Meeting. EU and WHO representatives presented upcoming health and social priorities. Break-out sessions allowed members to strategise on strengthening the case for public health within the new narrative of competitiveness and making progress on mental health, disease prevention, and housing.
Advancing the Wellbeing Economy
Throughout its activities, EuroHealthNet works towards a Wellbeing Economy, which puts the economy at the service of what should be our ultimate objective: our wellbeing and that of our planet. Our 2024 analysis of the European Semester asked, ‘Is the Semester delivering a Wellbeing Economy?’ Our work with the Institute of Public Health in Ireland led to a report on creating a Wellbeing Economy to improve public health.
Thematic Working Groups
Thematic Working Groups (TWIGs) provide a space for EuroHealthNet members to share expertise and build skills. Over the past year:
The ‘Best Practice Portals’ TWIG delivered a workshop at the European Conference on Health Promotion and launched a collaboration with the Joint Action PreventNCD.
Members of the ‘Healthy Living Environments’ TWIG lead a work package in the Joint Action PreventNCD and discussed topics like healthy indoor and built environments, Wellbeing Economies and the 'supersetting’ approach.
The ‘Mental Health’ TWIG fostered collaboration on the determinants of mental health, facilitated exchanges with the OECD's WISE Centre, and supported work on mental health in the workplace.
The ‘Social Marketing to Address Addictions’ TWIG developed a brief on alcohol control policies, which inspired a workshop during the French Prevention Days and an International Symposium in Brussels.
A new TWIG on health promoting schools kicked off in April 2025. It aims to share promising practices and strengthen knowledge and capacity on this topic.
Our 2024/2025 achievements
EuroHealthNet activities take place across three platforms covering policy, practice, and research. In addition, a core team unifies and builds connections between the platforms, including communications activities to share and support the exchange of knowledge and experience.
Policy
EuroHealthNet's Policy Platform monitors regional, national, and European policies by looking at a broad spectrum of social, environmental, and commercial determinants that affect people’s wellbeing.
This included:
Working with EU institutions to establish health and social priorities, following the European elections. As the EU’s narrative shifted to prioritising competitiveness, we demonstrated that good health and wellbeing are drivers of a thriving economy.
Offering concrete recommendations for policymakers at the EU, national, and local levels regarding the European Semester, the European Pillar of Social Rights, ultraprocessed foods, healthy ageing, and tobacco.
Engaging with policymakers based on the collective expertise, latest evidence, insights, and best practices from our Partnership
Collaborating with WHO/Europe on topics including social and commercial determinants of health, community wellbeing, mental health, and child health.
Delivering expert intelligence and analyses to members via strategic meetings and policy chats. As high-level EU and WHO/Europe officials joined members-only meetings, members received first-hand information and insights, and had opportunities to engage directly with decision-makers.
Practice
The Practice Platform helps to implement effective strategies, programmes, and initiatives to promote health and reduce inequalities.
This includes:
Providing members with opportunities for exchange and competency building. Our Country Exchange Visits in 2024 focused on preventing child poverty and reducing tobacco and nicotine consumption. A members-only capacity-building visit in Brussels helped participants get familiar with EU policymaking and opportunities to engage. Two other workshops built capacity on good ethics in health promotion and accessing EU technical support.
Collaborating with partners across sectors on topics such as vaccine equity, prevention of non-communicable diseases, innovative financing models for health, social prescribing, mental health, and physical activity. These international initiatives forge connections, leverage expertise, and support cross-sectoral action for societal wellbeing.
Paving the way towards health promoting schools through our leading role in Schools4Health.
Continuing to develop our Partnership and network of experts, leading our membership to grow to 83 organisations and enforcing our reputation as one of the leadings organisations on health promotion and health equity.
Research
The Research Platform provides the evidence base to develop policies and practices that promote health and wellbeing.
This includes:
Helping to generate the evidence and tools needed to mitigate the health impact of climate change through Horizon Europe projects focused on sustainable lifestyles, air and noise pollution, climate risks, and nature-based solutions.
We are in the process of mapping social inequalities in health in Europe, working with the Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research (CHAIN) and our members. The report, examining trends, challenges, and policy responses, will be published in September 2025.
Contributing to a healthy and sustainable food system through the FEAST initiative.
Organising a plenary at the 2024 European Public Health Conference, exploring the impact of current crises on health inequalities and how EU initiatives, climate action, and investments in education act as levers for change.
Providing members with a space to learn about funding and form consortia, organising events such as a Horizon Europe matchmaking day and a Research Platform meeting.
Activities to reach out and connect
EuroHealthNet's communications team amplifies the Partnership’s expertise and disseminates the latest information on public health, social equity and determinants of health.
This includes:
Connecting experts and fostering exchange through members-only initiatives, such as EuroHealthNet’s Communications Network and the Network Intelligence newsletter.
Showcasing stories behind developments in health promotion through EuroHealthNet Magazine, with an annual circulation of 50,000 readers.
Disseminating reliable, evidence-based and timely information via our Health Inequalities Portal, press releases, and Health Highlights newsletter.
Capturing good practices on mitigating the links between climate, the built environment, and health in a four-part video series.
Establishing strong media relations by collaborating closely with EU, national, and regional media.
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