The European Respiratory Society (ERS), alongside 86 other organisations, supports a campaign led by the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) and the European Patients Forum (EPF), which aims to push for coordinated EU action to tackle cross-border health challenges.
Earlier this year, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker presented a white paper on the future of Europe, outlining 5 scenarios. In these scenarios, the option to “do less” on some policy areas is contemplated. This could worryingly lead to less EU action on health after 2020.
Health is a core business area of the EU. Various initiatives have led to greater health protection within the EU and current cross-border health and social challenges can only be tackled at European level.
Therefore ERS, together with all the supporting organisations, have expressed their concerns in a letter addressed to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and launched a petition to gather support. More targeted actions are foreseen to ensure that health remains high on the agenda of the European Commission.