10.C. Round table: EU Global Health Strategy: Mapping European support for improving health and health systems globally

Abstract

Abstract In November 2022, the European Commission unveiled its new Global Health Strategy. Featuring three cross-cutting priorities, the Strategy calls for the mobilisation of a “wide number of policies to work on a global health agenda” (1). The Strategy also highlights the importance of establishing a “permanent mapping of key measures and financing efforts of the EU and its Member States to better understand what actions are taking place and to allow for tying means to the strategy's priorities”(1). The EU's ongoing actions are already delivering more for health systems globally than one would expect - and it has many policy tools and support instruments which affect Global Health. These instruments vary greatly in their intent and design, with some targeted at strengthening health systems and promoting health and wellbeing, while others contribute to these objectives more indirectly by generating spillover effects. The European Observatory's upcoming policy brief ‘European support for improving health and care systems globally’ aims to unpack the key EU instruments available in policy areas including: • Trade in goods and services • Public investment and fiscal instruments • Official development assistance and humanitarian aid • Solidarity, voice, and multilateralism • Research and training partnerships This roundtable will delve into the main priorities of the Strategy and reflect on upcoming plans for its realisation. Engaging with the audience, the panel will explore the need for transparency, alignment, and coordination of the existing instruments across the different policy areas. It will also discuss opportunities for collaboration between the European level and the EU Member States. This facilitated roundtable discussion will explore how resources such as the Policy Brief can serve as a steppingstone to map and make sense of the diverse range of EU actions relevant for Global Health, in order to maximise synergies, transparency and policy consistency for successful coordination and implementation of the Strategy. (1) EU Global Health Strategy - Better Health for All in a Changing World. Commission Communication COM(2022) 675, https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/eu-global-health-strategy-better-health-all-changing-world_en Key messages • The EU already has more policy instruments with an impact on Global Health than one would expect. • Delivering on the priorities of the new EU Global Health Strategy will require taking stock of ongoing EU actions and forging meaningful synergies for cross-sectoral collaboration. Speakers/Panelists Scott Greer University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA Nicole Mauer European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels, Belgium Elena Petelos EUPHA-HTA, EUPHA-GH