Open letter to President Elect Von Der Leyen

The Knowledge Partners of All Policies for a Healthy Europe issued a joint open letter, calling for health and well-being to be central to EU policy:

Dear President-Elect,

On behalf of All Policies for a Healthy Europe, we would like to congratulate you on your appointment as President of the European Commission. We represent a coalition of leading organisations active in health, environment and digital sectors, championing health and well-being to be recognised as making a crucial contribution to the future EU agenda on sustainable development and inclusive growth.

We welcome your commitment to a healthy planet and to reconcile the social and the market in today’s modern economy. Given that a recent Eurobarometer survey shows that over 70% of citizens want more EU level action on health and well-being, it is imperative that the EU responds to the needs and concerns of its citizens by embracing the paradigm shift towards an ‘economy of well-being’. Whilst the fight against cancer is important, a more holistic approach to health and well-being is needed to unlock Europe’s economic and social potential.

As you prepare to assign priorities and portfolios to nominated Commissioners from each Member State, we would like to bring to your attention our Manifesto, endorsed by over 20 organisations. We are calling for a cross-sectoral approach that takes all of the multi-dimensional determinants of health and well-being into account, including economic, social, environmental, commercial and political influences. In particular, All Policies for a Healthy Europe calls on you to:

• Appoint a senior European Commissioner to oversee cross- and inter-sectoral action on health and well-being, supported by the Commission health services and the Secretariat-General. This could fall within the remit of a Vice-President for Health and Well-being or Sustainable Development;
• Strengthen health and well-being impact assessments in the EU;
• Ensure a ‘home for health’ within the Commission to create a centre of knowledge and expertise to cooperate with other international organisations such as the WHO and OECD.

We very much look forward to your action plan to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights. All Policies for a Healthy Europe will shortly launch Recommendations on ‘EU Governance and Well-being’ in which we recommend two mechanisms to strengthen implementation of social rights via the European Semester: i) a ‘Social Imbalances Procedure’; and ii) minimum standards for social protection.

Representatives of the initiative would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss this and the priorities we have identified as critical to Europe for the next 5 years.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

• Active Citizenship Network
• European Connected Health Alliance
• European Health Management Association
• European Patients’ Forum
• European Public Health Alliance
• EU40
• Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry
• Johnson & Johnson
• MedTech Europe
• Microsoft
• Re-Imagine Europa

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