Editorial. An agenda for public health research in Europe

Abstract

In some senses, the end of 1997 marks a transition for the journal. Per-Gunnar Svensson, who founded the journal in 1990, is retiring as editor-in-chief on his appointment as Director General of the International Hospital Federation in London. Per-Gunnar combined the vision of a specifically European journal of public health with the energy, enthusiasm, and sheer hard work necessary to make that vision a reality. In doing so, he has contributed enormously to the sense of a European public health community. As the journal moves into a new phase, we want to build on Per-Gunnar's achievements. In an increasingly interdependent world, in which many of the threats to the health of our populations are global, such as climate change, the trans-national tobacco industry, and emerging infectious diseases, we will continue to support the development of a global public health agenda. In the previous paper, Gro Harlem Brundtland sets out clearly why we need to be concerned about these issues, wherever we live, which bespeaks our goal of developing the pan-European identity of the journal further. This year we have seen an increase in coverage of research that has a specifically European dimension, an example being the recent supplement on cross-border health care and, in future, we hope that the journal becomes the first place that people look for this type of research. We believe that the journal is uniquely placed to contribute to the dissemination of research where a European dimension provides real added value.