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Empowered citizens, personalised care: a new era for prevention in Europe
European Parliament, Brussels
Introduction and aim of the initiative
At a time when Europe is facing a growing burden of chronic diseases and a rapidly ageing population, the need to strengthen prevention has become a critical priority. However, prevention can no longer be conceived as a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Today, scientific and technological advances allow us to shift toward personalised prevention – interventions tailored to each individual's biological, environmental, behavioural, and socio-economic characteristics.
This new paradigm, integrating genomic data, lifestyles, risk factors, and personal preferences, not only promises greater effectiveness in early diagnosis and disease prevention but also lays the foundation for a more inclusive, sustainable, and person-centred healthcare system. However, this transformation can only succeed if citizens and patients are recognised and supported as active participants. Without their informed, meaningful, and ongoing engagement, personalised medicine risks remaining an innovative promise that fails to reach its full societal impact.
The Single Market shows a strong asymmetry in the relationship between consumers and businesses. The current context is marked by limited awareness of consumer rights, a weak and underdeveloped culture of complaint, and the proliferation of unfair commercial practices, both online and offline. The groups most affected by these practices—especially online—are primarily young people.
The Consumer (Re)generation project (CoRe) aims to provide citizens with knowledge and skills to make informed and responsible decisions, protect their rights, know how to navigate in the complexity of the modern market.
This project has received funding from the Single Market Programme, the EU funding programme which finances activities supporting a well-functioning, sustainable internal market.
Active Citizenship Network, in partnership with RPP Group, is launching a strategic initiative aimed at advancing respiratory care at the European Union level. The effort seeks to address the persistent lack of political attention given to respiratory diseases, despite their significant and growing impact on public health, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The initiative builds on the momentum of the activities carried out by ACN in 2023 through the EU project “Protecting the value of access to healthcare during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe: focus on antivirals” and in 2024 through the EU project “Empowering & mobilizing PAGs on COVID-19 prevention & treatments for vulnerable target groups”, which laid the foundations through political engagement, awareness-raising campaigns and collaboration with Members of the European Parliament.
Especially throughout 2024, the project achieved significant milestones, including the successful integration of COVID-19-related health priorities into the EU Health Agenda, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations and workforce development.
Welcome to #VaccinAction 2025
The fifth edition of our EU initiative dedicated to strengthening adult vaccination and safeguarding the value of routine immunization across Europe.
Exploring the benefits of health data sharing for patients,
healthcare systems and medical research at EU level
15 May 2025 | 14:30 - 16:30
Room A3H1 | European Parliament, Brussels
Register here to participate (free but mandatory)
The OH-FINE project aims to jointly create and share knowledge between European researchers and producers. OH-FINE will identify efficient, healthy, organic and viable alternatives for small farm food production. All this information will then be disseminated and shared at a wider level.
The pandemic emphasized the importance of public health at the top of the political agenda and showed the very tangible ways in which the European Union can complement and add value to national policies to improve citizens' daily lives and well-being. This approach meets the clear expectations of citizens when it comes to protecting and promoting their health. The latest Eurobarometer and Public Opinion surveys have shown that health is among the top priorities of European citizens. The European Health Union was created to meet their expectations. Investing in health always pays off. The pandemic has shown how public health is a prerequisite for the functioning of societies and economies.
About
co-OPERATOR is an innovative Horizon EU4Health funded project that aims to develop a Country-Observatory to share best practices for vaccination promotion.
Indeed, European stakeholders face significant variability in addressing vaccination hesitancy and implementing COVID-19 vaccination campaigns among healthcare providers and the general population. Challenges include widespread hesitancy within the population and variations in the communication skills of healthcare providers. To address these issues, cross-country initiatives play a crucial role in knowledge-sharing, especially considering the observed differences in vaccine coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The co-OPERATOR project seeks to capitalize on research findings by developing and piloting a knowledge hub, virtual observatory, and training system across participating countries and beyond. This proof-of-concept initiative aims to gather, structure, and disseminate knowledge, best practices, and resources related to stakeholders’ strategies for COVID-19 vaccination and beyond. The primary focus lies in advancing communication and knowledge skills while addressing systemic barriers and facilitators for effectively promoting vaccination messages to the population.
Protecting the value of vaccination after the COVID-19 pandemic across Europe: impact, experiences and perspectives of citizen & patient advocacy groups
Welcome to #VaccinAction 2024, the fourth edition of our EU project dedicated to strengthening adult vaccination in Europe and protecting the value of routine immunization and its benefits.
Combining the protection of patients' rights with skills shortage, medical desertification and job strain.
The key role of HCPs for a healthier Europe.
20 March 2024 | 16:30 – 18:30
Room ASP 3H1 | European Parliament, Brussels
Also this year, Active Citizenship Network will celebrate the European Patients' Rights Day - which has reached its 18th edition - with a conference that will be held at the European Parliament in Brussels on 20 March from 16:30 to 18:30, kindly hosted by MEP Brando Benifei (S&D) and organised with the support of the MEPs Interest Group "European Patients' Rights & Cross-Border Healthcare".
THE EVENT IS SOLD OUT
for more information please write to
To read the programme of the conference, click here
Introduction and aim of the initiative
15 million people work in health occupations, representing over 7% of the EU workforce and almost 4% of the EU population. The role of healthcare professionals (HCPs) is undeniably pivotal. However, their significance seems to be inadequately emphasized in the political sphere: whether in the NRRPs, the conclusions of the Conference for the Future of Europe, or pre-election debates.
As part of the European Year of Skills, the Commission's Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) report 2023 puts a special focus on the analysis of labour shortages and skills gaps also in the health sector.
Projects funded under the EU4Health Work Programme (among others, the “AHEAD” project and the Joint Action ”HEROES”) have addressed the persistent labour shortage in the health sector, while a widespread civic survey on health workers - conducted in Italy by Cittadinanzattiva - investigated how 10.000 workers belonging to 20 health professions experience their condition, outlining the contours of what is a real "health workforce emergency”.
Cittadinanzattiva APS
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via Imera, 2
00183 Roma
Tel: (+39) 06.36.71.81
Fax: (+39) 06.36.71.83.33
Rue Philippe Le Bon, 46
1000 Brussels - Belgium
