The seminar underlined that population health is not merely a product of health sector activities but to a large extent is determined by living conditions and other societal and economic factors. At the same time good health is a key driver of productivity and economic growth.
The seminar had a broad range of different speakers to talk about their views concerning this theme.
Andrezj Rys, Director for Public Health at DG Sanco, emphasized the importance of working in partnership with other policy areas. He mentioned the new EU Health Strategy from the EC which will set the direction of EU health policy for the decade to come.
Although the content of the Health Strategy is still being developed it aims to be an overarching strategic framework. It will include important issues such as tackling health inequalities and addressing key health determinants.
The role of the EU in global health will be another key theme of the Strategy. The Strategy will be adopted by the Commission in 2007.
The seminar reviewed some of the tools for health in all policies including EU policies, financial instruments and methodologies for impact assessment. The seminar also looked into the lessons learned from integrating health into some key policy sectors such as nutrition, employment policies, transport and the environment.
Finally, experiences in implementing health in all policies in the EU neighbouring countries were discussed.
The conclusion form the seminar will be published on the DG Sanco website
