EuroHealthNet’s Foresight study calls for greater efforts to address health equity and disease prevention

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, nothing seemed more important than our health. Concerns about health inequalities and the need for strong disease prevention were finally on the agenda. Yet, if public health experts hoped that we had learned our lesson, it does not seem to have stuck. EuroHealthNet’s new Foresight report on public health in 2035, launched on the occasion of the recent High-level Conference on the Future EU Health Union, paints a worrying picture.

EuroHealthNet’s Foresight study identified several key public health challenges for Europe in 2035: persistent inequalities, (unhealthy) living conditions, rising chronic diseases and mental health problems, the digital transition, as well as demographic and climate change.

The study confirms the importance of many of the selected topics for the conference, including the need to invest in health and addressing the shortage of health workers. However, findings also underscore that the future agenda of the European Health Union must be broadened to better include health promotion and disease prevention.

“Considering the public health challenges ahead of us, the Belgian Presidency’s exchange on the Future EU Health Union and the strategic priorities for 2024-2029 is essential. In our study, 7 out of 10 health experts believe that the EU will have gained more comprehensive competencies over the health policy domain by 2035. The EU should use this influence to expand the scope of the European Health Union,” said Suzanne Costello, President at EuroHealthNet and CEO of the Institute of Public Health Ireland.

The greatest challenge

To strengthen public health by 2035, foresight experts deem political will and collaboration among policymakers, health professionals, and communities indispensable. However, 77.4% of respondents expect that political polarisation, lack of trust in public institutions, and pervasive spread of disinformation will make achieving public health goals in Europe much more difficult. An overwhelming majority of 93.6% of experts found it (very) likely that by 2035 increasing socioeconomic inequality will be the greatest challenge to achieving public health-related goals in Europe.

“The COVID-19 pandemic should have taught us the importance of keeping people in good health. We know that if we fail, people in vulnerable situations will suffer the most. A future European Health Union that invests more in health promotion and disease prevention and focuses on health equity can yield a considerable positive return on investment for people and economies,” said Caroline Costongs, Director of EuroHealthNet.

Based on the study’s insights on the role of public health in 2035, EuroHealthNet’s Partnership developed several recommendations. These include advocating for a Wellbeing Economy approach, prioritising health promotion and disease prevention, as well as mandatory health, equity and environment impact assessments for new policies, products and services in the EU. EuroHealthNet expects urgent action and an ambitious plan for a European Health Union, and will contribute to taking these calls forward to achieve better and more equitable health outcomes for all by 2035.

About EuroHealthNet’s Foresight Report

EuroHealthNet’s 2023-2024 Foresight study looks into the role of public health by 2035 for achieving health equity through health promotion and prevention, in the context of the digital and green transition. The Foresight study and report were developed and coordinated by the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies https://cifs.dk , in cooperation with EuroHealthNet. More than 30 health experts from EuroHealthNet’s European Partnership contributed with their rich and diverse expertise.

• Read: The future of public health in Europe – EuroHealthNet Foresight report https://eurohealthnet.eu/publication/the-future-of-public-health-in-europe/