What is the Expert Group on Public Health and how does it contribute to DG SANTE’s work?

The PHEG is the key forum for EU Member States and the Commission to discuss common public health challenges and solutions to address them jointly.  

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent 80% of the health burden, so it’s essential to support Member States and citizens in this area. The most effective way is through prevention, which can reduce the number of cases by up to 70%. That’s why prevention should be ramped up through the entire lifespan, from pregnancy and early childhood to old age. 

The PHEG identifies best and promising practices and shares them between Member States and develops EU guidelines and recommendations.   

Together with the Member States, we can develop ambitious, concrete activities to prevent NCDs and support their implementation through funding from the EU4Health programme and other EU financial instruments. 

Through the PHEG, the Commission also supports the Member States in reaching the United Nations’ health-related Sustainable Development Goals, – particularly that of reducing premature mortality caused by NCDS by one third by 2030, and the WHO targets on non-communicable diseases.  

What are the PHEG subgroups and how were they chosen?

The Commission has set up a number of temporary sub-groups to support the work of the PHEG in key areas. Currently, there are four sub-groups on mental health, vaccination, cancer and non-communicable diseases, and a network, the Network of Expertise on Long Covid.   

These areas are Commission priorities and the work of the PHEG in these areas is indispensable for the implementation of major EU plans and actions, including Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the EU non-communicable diseases initiative ‘Healthier Together’ and the Commission’s Communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health. And not only for implementation, but also for formulating these policies, like the Council Recommendation on vaccine preventable cancers, which was adopted in January.    

Can you tell us more about these sub-groups and the network?

The subgroup on vaccination advises the Commission on how to support EU Member States to increase vaccination coverage rates, including by sharing best and promising practices. It also supports the Commission on policy initiatives on vaccination, including the newly adopted Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers.      

The subgroup on vaccination will meet again in April to discuss, among other issues, measles vaccination coverage in light of the current outbreaks in European countries. Specifically, they will look at what Member States are doing to increase uptake of the second dose of the measles vaccine.   

The subgroup on mental health advised the Commission on the development of the Communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health and is now supporting the implementation of that Communication’s flagships and supporting Member States in stepping up mental health promotion and prevention, particularly for the most vulnerable groups. The Member State-led drafting group on stigma and discrimination in mental health, for example, is working on developing a document outlining EU guidance on stigma and discrimination.    

The subgroup on the prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) advises the Commission on how to support Member States in defining and implementing a comprehensive, strategic approach to health promotion and prevention of NCDs that encompasses the entire life course and focuses on health determinants and the socio-economic determinants of health, as well as health equity and quality of life.    

Two NCDs account for the most premature deaths in the EU - cardiovascular diseases and cancer – and they share common risk factors with other NCDs. By working together with the Member States in the PreventNCDs Joint Action, which was launched last month with EUR 76 million in Commission support, we can do more to lower risk factors and help prevent these diseases. Member States are also working together to tackle cardiovascular disease and diabetes through the JACARDI Joint Action. With EUR 53 million from the EU4Health programme, JACARDI is supporting 21 countries to reduce the burden of these two NCDs.    

The sub-group on cancer was established to engage with Member State representatives, as part of the governance mechanism for the Cancer Plan. The group meets every six to eight weeks to provide updates on national and EU-level implementation of cancer-related actions, report any problems related to implementation, and recommend actions to improve uptake of best practices. The group also covers cancer research and includes experts from both the Health and Research Ministries. This creates synergies with the Horizon Europe Mission on Cancer, which is also jointly managed by DG SANTE and DG Research and Innovation. 

The Network of Expertise on Long COVID brings national centres of expertise together to discuss the management and treatment of Long COVID. It aims to identify gaps, needs, and challenges related to Long COVID and to find solutions. 

The Network recently asked its members for an overview of Member State actions to address Long COVID challenges, to identify topics the Network should cover and to gather ideas for concrete actions involving international cooperation. Identified priorities include boosting surveillance systems and the professional training of healthcare staff, and actions in these areas and others will be funded through the EU4Health Programme. 

What issues will the PHEG be taking up in the future?  

PHEG members have agreed to move towards a comprehensive, multi-sectoral and life-long approach to the prevention of NCDs that goes beyond public health and includes other key policy areas like employment, education, digitalisation, research, culture, urban planning, food and diets, environment, and mitigating and adapting to climate change. The Commission will continue to work closely with Member States to ensure support for a life-long approach to health and effective actions on tobacco, alcohol, nutrition, physical activity, and the social, environmental, and commercial determinants of health.   

In general, the Commission will support the PHEG in putting ambitious policies and actions in place to create opportunities to improve health for all and reduce health inequalities.  

For more information: Expert Group on Public Health - European Commission (europa.eu)