Public Health

Organising Public Health and delivering healthcare to Europeans is the responsibility of national governments in the European Union. The EU’s role is to complement national policies by helping them achieve shared objectives, generating economies of scale, pooling resources, and helping countries tackle common challenges such as antimicrobial resistance, pandemics, chronic diseases or the impact of increased life expectancies on healthcare systems.

EU countries hold primary responsibility for organising and delivering health services and medical care. EU health policy therefore serves to complement national policies, and to ensure health protection in all EU policies.

European Public Health

EU policies and actions in public health aim to:

• Protect and improve the health of EU citizens
• Support the modernisation of health infrastructure
• Improve the efficiency of Europe’s health systems.

Strategic health issues are discussed by representatives of national authorities and the European Commission in a senior-level working group on public health. EU institutions, countries, regional and local authorities, and other interest groups contribute to the implementation of the EU’s health strategy.

WHO – World Health Organization

Public Health is defined as “the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts of society” (Acheson, 1988; WHO). Activities to strengthen European health capacities and service aim to provide conditions under which people can maintain to be healthy, improve their health and wellbeing, or prevent the deterioration of their health. Public health focuses on the entire spectrum of health and wellbeing, not only the eradication of particular diseases. Many activities are targeted at populations such as health campaigns. Public health services also include the provision of personal services to individual persons, such as vaccinations, behavioural counselling, or health advice.