European Union Health Law and Policy - Shaping a Future Research Agenda

Abstract

The EU Health Law and Policy (EUHLP) Project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between legal and political science academics, as well as practitioners and the policy community, to explore the future of the EU’s role in health. It starts from the premise that, facing increased competition for political attention, reduced support for legislative action and pressures on internal resourcing, the EU’s health agenda has declined in prominence and scope in recent years. This change has created new areas of study and affected existing ones, requiring review and revision of the research agenda in the field. Running between January 2018 and March 2019, the EUHLP project centres around two workshops. The first of these was hosted by Lancaster University on 12 and 13 April 2018 and this document serves both as a summary of the discussions which took place and as a reflection on how these ideas might be carried forward. The workshop utilised a World Cafe format. Participants submitted suggestions for discussion topics in advance and then worked in small groups to explore these, collating ideas at the end of each session. The summaries below are structured according to these Cafe sessions, with the exception of the first and final topics, which offer an introduction and conclusion to the workshop outcomes. The second workshop will be held at the University of Edinburgh on 29 and 30 November 2018. All participants of the workshop have been invited (though not required) to offer comments and feedback on the document but responsibility for the final characterisation of discussions remains with the authors.