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Health strategy

Policy

The EU has a mandate to complement national action on health. This consists mainly of:

  • protecting people from health threats and disease
  • promoting healthy lifestyles
  • helping national authorities in the EU cooperate on health issues.

 

The European Commission put forward a strategic approach for EU health policy for the period 2008-2013. Building on previous work, this strategy aims at providing an overarching framework which covers not only core European health issues but also broader aspects such as health in all policies and global health.

White paper

The EU Health Strategypdf(123 KB) Choose translations of the previous link Deutsch (de) français (fr) 'Together for Health: A Strategic Approach for the EU 2008-13' aims to deliver concrete health improvements in Europe. The Strategy focuses on 4 main principles and 3 strategic objectives for improving health in the EU and has received full support by all other EU institutions.

Implementation

The strategy aims at delivering concrete results in improving health. It is implemented in tandem with Member States, regions and stakeholders, through a number of financial and organisational instruments created by the Commission.

Background

The strategy came at a crucial time – just after the EU had completed an increase in membership from 15 to 27 countries.

It was based on a public consultation which provided valuable advice on the main goals and areas where needs for action.