## PHSSR at the EU Parliament: Sustainable health for sustainable growth

On 18 April 2024, PHSSR was pleased to host a lively European Parliament event “Sustainable Health for Sustainable Growth: A Roadmap for European Policy” in collaboration with MEP Kathleen Van Brempt. The event took place in the context of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and was moderated by Euractiv’s Mariam Zaidi.Against the backdrop of the upcoming EU and Belgian elections, representatives from government, academia, patient organisations, and industry gathered to discuss sustainable solutions to complex challenges facing health systems in the EU. The discussions drew upon key findings and best practices from EU and Member State PHSSR research. MEP Kathleen Van Brempt provided opening remarks, stressing the importance of learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in ensuring health systems are better able to prepare for, adapt to, learn, and recover from shocks and crises throughout future political cycles.Reflecting on the Von der Leyen Commission and priorities of the Belgian EU Presidency, Professor Philippe Kolh (Belgian Superior Health Council, Liѐge University and European Society for Vascular Surgery), Professor Marco Varkevisser (Erasmus University), Anne-Laure Dreno (AstraZeneca France), and Kathleen Depoorter (Pharmacist and MP in the Federal Health Commission, Belgium) highlighted the need for policies fostering R&D innovation and quicker access to health technology to boost the EU’s life sciences competitiveness, urging policymakers to view health as an investment. They also highlighted pressures on the healthcare workforce as a particular issue, calling for it to be prioritised in budgets and the introduction of skills initiatives to tackle staff shortages.Discussing the need to proactively manage Europe’s non-communicable disease (NCD) crisis, Raymond Vanholder (European Kidney Health Alliance, European Chronic Disease Alliance and PHSSR EU Expert Advisory Group), Chantal Mathieu (European  Association for the Study of Diabetes), and Stefan Gijssels (Patient Expert Center) stressed the significance of early intervention and detection strategies, the need to shift resources from secondary to primary care and the importance of  interdisciplinary collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and data-driven decision-making to enhance population health.With both EU and Belgian elections on the horizon, these important discussions underscore how critical it is to promote health system sustainability throughout future political cycles to ensure a healthy population in the long-term.Many thanks to our expert panel and moderator for their invaluable contributions to this lively discussion:MEP Kathleen Van Brempt, European Parliament  Philippe Kolh, Professor and Chief Information Officer, Liège University; Expert, Belgian Superior Health Council; Past President, European Society for Vascular SurgeryMarco Varkevisser, Professor of Health Care Market Regulation, Erasmus UniversityAnne-Laure Dreno, President, AstraZeneca FranceKathleen Depoorter, Pharmacist and MP in Federal Health Commission, BelgiumRaymond Vanholder, President, European Kidney Health Alliance; Chair, European Chronic Disease Alliance; PHSSR EU Expert Advisory GroupChantal Mathieu, President, European Association for the Study of DiabetesStefan Gijssels, Chair, Patient Expert CenterMariam Zaidi, Presenter, Reporter, Moderator and Host, Euractiv

[Register to attend in-person here](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIdgEYxaTAQKBOArsvoAbpvEk2Jk_M6qQCQArEfPuBB3fkrA/viewform?pli=1)