Rewiring or Revolutionising Health Systems

COVID-19 has strained healthcare systems across Europe. 

However, the pandemic also demonstrated that member states can overcome their differences to cooperate in radically new ways. The past two years showed the resilience and innovative potential of health systems. How can the EU and member states go further to create agile health systems that can meet current needs and prepare for future developments – both known and unknown – like climate and demographic change?

On 27 October 2022, the think tank Friends of Europe will hold its annual State of Europe high-level roundtable in Brussels. In the run-up to State of Europe, Debating Europe is convening a series of citizens’ panels, with a mix of citizens and civil society representatives. Each of these citizens’ panels will be matched to a session at State of Europe.

The citizens’ panel we are publishing today met to discuss the future of European healthcare. You can watch the panel in the video above. Taking part were:

• Dana
• Joao

Should European health systems be revolutionised or rewired? 

What is the right way to balance EU action with member state autonomy to improve health equity and meet citizen demands? Is the issue of the EU’s competency on health still the right question? Or is it time to radically rethink public healthcare in a way that does not leave the EU and each member state working on separate tracks?

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.