Health is an important priority for Europeans, who expect to be protected against illness and disease at home, in the workplace and when travelling across the EU. Health issues cut across a range of topics – including consumer protection (food safety issues), workplace safety, environmental or social policies – and thus have a considerable impact on the EU’s revised Lisbon strategy.
Competence for the organisation and delivery of health services and healthcare is largely held by the Member States, although the EU has the responsibility to give added value through launching actions such as those in relation to cross-border health threats and patient mobility, as well as reducing health inequalities and addressing key health determinants. Gathering and assessing accurate, detailed information on health issues is vital for the EU to effectively design policies and target future actions.
A programme for Community action in the field of public health for the period 2003 to 2008 focuses on three main areas:
- improving health information and knowledge for the development of public health;
- enhancing the capability of responding rapidly and in a coordinated fashion to threats to health;
- promoting health and prevent diseases through addressing health determinants across all policies and activities.
On 23 October 2007, the European Commission adopted a new strategy ’Together for Health: A Strategic Approach for the EU 2008-2013’ to set objectives that will guide future work on health at a European level. Within the European Commission, the strategy is supported by the Second Programme of Community Action in the field of Health 2008-2013. This programme has been adopted with three broad objectives that align future health actions more closely to the objectives of prosperity, solidarity and security, namely through:
- Improving citizens’ health security;
- promoting health to improve prosperity and solidarity;
- generating and disseminating health knowledge.
