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Re-imagining Europe’s health systems EUROPEAN POLICY SUMMIT BRUSSELS & LIVESTREAMED PROGRAMME 4-5 june 2025 Cover image credits: Shutterstock | MMD Creative Co-organised with 2 About 2025 marks a year of unparalleled geopolitical competition, with tariffs and trade wars as its opening acts. As the continent has adapted to new realities, from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to technological advancements and demographic shifts, the resilience and sustainability of its healthcare systems have become central to policy discussions. The European Union faces the challenge of maintaining what was its global-leading position in innovation and competitiveness in the life sciences industry. The combined pressures of an ageing population, rising healthcare costs and barriers to equitable access to medicines complicate the situation; policymakers must address these factors in tandem to craft a more resilient healthcare system, which in turn supports a competitive economy. At the beginning of this new institutional cycle, the European Commission has the opportunity to keep health systems at the heart of two crucial policy goals: maintain the strong European footprint in innovation and prosperity and ensure preparedness and resilience by taking full advantage of the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both policy goals are interconnected; with the focus on growth and competitiveness, the EU must also strive to ensure its economic agenda serves the social good. Citizens, as highlighted in the work of our citizen unit Debating Europe and in ‘10 policy choices for a Renewed Social Contract for Europe’, are calling for a Europe where people can live, work and age in sustainable and healthy environments. By rising to the challenge and focusing on healthier people, we can build more resilient societies. Maintaining the momentum of the digitalisation of healthcare offers a key opportunity. Ensuring effective implementation of the European Health Data Space will represent a unique asset for research and innovation, while digital systems will greatly improve patients’ access to information and medicines. In addition, the application of trustworthy, safe and high-quality artificial intelligence (AI) has already demonstrated its capacity to reinvent European health systems by improving workforce productivity, health outcomes and system efficiency. Unlocking the full potential of digitalisation will require to tackle issues such as workforce upskilling and data interoperability, as well as complex intellectual property ownership. Compounding this is the impact of extreme weather events, which presents a growing threat to public health across Europe. The EU will need to integrate healthcare and climate strategies with sustainable urban planning while ensuring the healthcare sector reduces its environmental impact. The healthcare sector’s significant environmental footprint – from energy consumption to waste production – undermines the sustainability of critical infrastructure. Finally, workforce shortages, an ageing population placing increased pressure on healthcare demand and low levels of investment further exacerbate existing challenges, undermining the integration of European health systems and delaying essential care, particularly in regions struggling to attract and retain skilled workers. Without a robust and well-distributed healthcare workforce, achieving resilience remains an uphill battle, exposing vulnerabilities in emergency preparedness and long-term care delivery. 3 #SustainableLivelihoodsSummit The 2025 Sustainable Livelihoods summit will address these systemic issues that lie at the heart of renewing Europe’s social contract and underscore the urgent need for a unified and comprehensive approach to healthcare resilience, as well as boosting EU competitiveness, health sovereignty and autonomy by fostering collaboration among policymakers, industry leaders, patients’ representatives and healthcare workers. Join the #SustainableLivelihoodsSummit discussion on social media. 4 Schedule WEDNESDAY 4 JUNE 19.00-21.30 POLICYMAKERS’ DINNER DEBATE (by invitation only) Governance matters for resilience – a stronger role for Europe in health An off-the-record dinner debate for 30 senior stakeholders, including senior officials from the European Commission (from both cabinets and various directorates- general), members of the European Parliament, representatives from national and international institutions, the private sector, civil society and academics. On the eve of the Sustainable Livelihoods Summit, we will consider the need for boldness and innovation in governance, as well as better financing and deeper EU- wide coordination to create a more integrated and resilient healthcare ecosystem, one that can balance the diversity of national contexts with the scale of the challenges facing the sector. While the COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical gaps in European health systems, it also demonstrated the potential for a more cohesive and proactive EU response, where the European Commission was capable of promoting budgetary expansion, organising joint vaccine purchases and developing coordination tools to prepare for upcoming health crises. With the conception of the European Health Union to improve preparedness, enhance cross-border cooperation and ensure equitable access to care, funding gaps, regulatory fragmentation and political hesitancy continue to hinder progress. Despite these challenges, EU-led initiatives such as Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and coordinated actions on rare diseases are important examples of areas where the EU has clearly provided great added value, shaping policies with a needs-driven approach for patients. • What governance model does Europe need to build a truly integrated and resilient Health Union? • How can the EU remove cross-border healthcare barriers and facilitate a coordinated digital transformation of European health systems while maintaining a system of shared competencies? • How can funding mechanisms like the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) better support a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to health resilience? • How can health system resilience contribute to European security? 5 #SustainableLivelihoodsSummit Schedule THURSDAY 5 JUNE 09.00-10.30 Registration and welcome coffee 09.30-10.20 PARALLEL ROUNDTABLES The brave new world of health Knowing what we know now about costs, improvements in healthcare, the pace of medical breakthroughs and how digital innovation and AI can reinvent the system - if we were to design a healthcare system that adapts, takes advantage of new opportunities and anticipates the challenges of the 21st century, how would we build it? This set of parallel briefings will feature short and inspiring conversations. 10.30-11.45 SESSION I Building blocks for an innovative and equitable Health Union Since the COVID-19 pandemic, European health systems have been under heavy strain due to increased financial pressure and a challenging economic climate. At the onset of this institutional cycle, Europe faces the effects and intersection between long-standing challenges, such as health and social care workforce shortages, stagnating or even shrinking wages and an ageing population, and multiple competing political priorities. The current situation is thus drastically reducing policymakers’ room for manoeuvre and hampering Europe’s capacity to fully recover from the pandemic’s effect on citizens’ livelihoods. The completion of the European Health Union represents a great opportunity to trigger a multiplying effect in health systems. Improving access to the most advanced treatments and reducing the barriers that currently separate national health systems will enable Europeans to fully benefit from the Single Market. In addition, supporting the healthcare innovation landscape, already a major source of R&D investments and patents in Europe, by reducing administrative burden and creating stable, consistent rules will drive industry competitiveness, making the business case for retaining manufacturing in Europe. High-quality, citizen-centric care should be the north star of health policy in the institutional cycle. Strengthening innovation in the European life sciences sector will not only deliver improved long-term value to citizens’ health and security but also serve as an economic driver for Europe. To develop a comprehensive strategy for the sector, Europe must balance its competitiveness goals with thorough assessments of citizens’ health needs; this involves prioritising health promotion, raising health standards, reducing disease burdens and empowering individuals to take greater control over their health and wellbeing. 6 Schedule • How can meaningful stakeholder alliances accelerate the shift from a disease- reactive model of care towards an ecosystem that proactively advocates for disease prevention and health promotion? • How can healthcare innovation improve the long-term quality and accessibility of care? • What are the missing steps to a patient-centred Health Union? • How can Europe leverage its health sector to drive sustainable economic growth? 11.45-12.15 Coffee break 12.15-12.30 IDEA SHARING Healthcare reimagined: sharing a vision for change Europe’s health ecosystem is operating under unprecedented challenges. With workforce shortages, complex regulatory frameworks, health inequities and barriers in health technology infrastructures among others – a disruptive reimagining of health in Europe is needed. How can we redefine the future of health and realise our vision for a healthier Europe? 12.30-13.30 SESSION II Delivering a comprehensive approach to the Digital Single Market to transform Europe’s health landscape In recent years, the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) in health has been lauded for its great potential in increasing efficiency, improving diagnosis and treatment and optimising resources amidst workforce challenges. Still, even with the European Commission’s ambitions towards a Digital Single Market and meeting the targets for Europe’s Digital Decade, there remain major barriers hindering the EU’s ability to accelerate the implementation of solutions that effectively address unmet health needs across the continent. As the EU aims to take a cross-cutting approach to strengthen capacity building and harness the power of digital technologies and AI to optimise clinical outcomes and save lives, EU leaders and innovators face the responsibility of deploying solutions that are both clinically safe, interoperable and environmentally sustainable. Furthermore, they must also be able to reconcile these technological innovations with keeping citizens at the heart of the digital transition – by aligning with the human aspects such as data governance, the digital divide, occupational burnout and • Is the EU on a path towards digital health sovereignty and open strategic autonomy (OSA)? • How can we re-design health systems in such a way that empowers people within a digital ecosystem? • How can the EU reinforce a more proactive and integrated strategy for the European Health Data Space (EHDS) whilst complying with the EU AI Act? 13.30 End of summit 8 www.friendsofeurope.org [email protected] Tel: +32 2 893 98 19 Square de Meeûs 5-6, 1000 Brussels, Belgium Friends of Europe is a leading think-tank that connects people, stimulates debate and triggers change to create a more inclusive, sustainable and forward-looking Europe Saatja: "Kaoru Inoue" <[email protected]> Saaja: "Riina Sikkut" Teema: Speaker Invitation: Minister Riina Sikkut, Sustainable Livelihoods Summit, Brussels 5 June 2025 Kuupäev: 2025-03-07 17:26 Tähelepanu! Tegemist on välisvõrgust saabunud kirjaga. Tundmatu saatja korral palume linke ja faile mitte avada. Tähelepanu! Tegemist on välisvõrgust saabunud kirjaga. Tundmatu saatja korral palume linke ja faile mitte avada. Dear Minister Sikkut, We are pleased to invite you to join Polish health minister Izabela Leszczyna as a speaker at our upcoming summit, Re-imagining Europe's health systems on 5 June 2025 in Brussels. This event will bring together private sector leaders, top policymakers, thought leaders, and other health stakeholder organisations among others. We would be honoured if you could join us to share your insights in one of the two key panel discussions on health systems resilience and boosting EU competitiveness to transform the health landscape in the continent. The summit will attract over 150 participants and several hundred more online, including policymakers, industry leaders, civil society representatives, and members of the international press corps from Europe and farther afield. Please find the official invitation and latest programme attached. Should you have any queries or need further details, please do reach out to us. We thank you for your consideration and we hope that you will join us in shaping this important conversation. With kind regards, Kaoru Kaoru Inoue she/her Partnership Manager Friends of Europe ‑ Connect. Debate. Change. ​The think tank for a more inclusive, sustainable and forward‑looking Europe Transparency register 99436366768‑45 <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] Square de Meeûs 5‑6 , B‑1000 Brussels <https://twitter.com/FriendsofEurope> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/friends-of-europe/> <https://www.instagram.com/friendsofeurope/> <http://www.friendsofeurope.org/> Friends of Europe ASBL Square de Meeûs 5-6 B-1000 Brussels, Belgium +32 2 893 98 25 Riina Sikkut Minister of Health Republic of Estonia Ministry of Social Affairs Suur-Ameerika 1, 10122 Tallinn Brussels, 07 March 2025 Dear Minister Sikkut, It is with great pleasure that I am writing to invite you to speak at our 2025 Sustainable Livelihoods summit ‘Re-imagining Europe's health systems’, which will take place in Brussels on Thursday 5 June 2025 from 09.00 until 13.30 CET. As you know only too well, 2025 marks a year of unparalleled geopolitical competition with tariffs and trade wars as its opening acts. As the continent has adapted to new realities, from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to technological advancements and demographic shifts, the resilience and sustainability of its health systems have become central to policy discussions. This summit will offer a platform to discuss systemic issues around health which lie at the heart of renewing Europe’s social contract and underscore the urgent need for a unified and comprehensive approach to health system resilience, as well as boosting EU competitiveness, health sovereignty and autonomy by fostering collaboration among policymakers, Member States, industry leaders, patients’ representatives and health workers. Throughout the summit, we will work together to examine the cross-cutting challenges posed by the health-technology nexus, address the opportunities for trust-worthy, safe and high-quality artificial intelligence to tackle challenges in health infrastructure and consider the priorities to deliver a more integrated and equitable Health Union. Your perspective from a national and EU-wide would be essential and important to include. Previous speakers at Friends of Europe events include, among others, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament; Sonia Roschnik, Executive Director of the Geneva Sustainability Centre; Paulette Lenert, Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg and Minister of Health; Marina Romanello, Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown; Annette Brüls, Corporate Vice President, EMEA Canada and Latin America at Edwards Lifesciences; Mario Monti, Friends of Europe Trustee and former Prime Minister of Italy; Nina Rawal, Founder of Emerging Health Ventures capital fund; Yan Le Cam, CEO of Eurordis Rare Diseases Europe and Ciara Clancy, CEO at Beats Medical. Our summits draw over 150 participants in person and several hundred more online, engaging a broad spectrum of stakeholders across member states. The summit will be preceded by a policymakers’ dinner on the eve of it, to which you’re also warmly invited to. Friends of Europe is a Brussels-based think tank, working with stakeholders across the continent to craft bold and innovative recommendations to revitalise the European Project and build a more inclusive, sustainable and forward-thinking Europe. I am confident that your intervention would be a high point of this important discussion and I hope we will have the opportunity to welcome you on this occasion. My colleague, Kaoru Inoue and I, are at your disposal should you have any questions concerning this invitation. Yours sincerely, Nathalie Furrer Director, Friends of Europe Friends of Europe is an independent think tank that connects people, stimulates debate and triggers change EU Transparency register 99436366768-45