Partners for health in the WHO European Region

Partners for health in the WHO European Region

WHO
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The European Union (EU) is a very important partner of WHO/Europe: it represents 27 of the 53 countries of the WHO European Region. Effective cooperation between these institutions in all health-related areas benefits Member States of the EU and other nations with whom Europe is linked.

The complexity of contemporary public and global health challenges demands cooperation at all levels. WHO and the EU have consolidated a systematic dialogue at political and technical levels with the European Commission. This extends the remit of work beyond the health sector to other agendas relevant to health, ensuring the promotion of a One Health approach in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

WHO/Europe thus cooperates with a wide range of European Commission services, including:

  • the Directorate-General of Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE);
  • the Directorate-General of European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR);
  • the Directorate-General of International Partnerships (DG INTPA);
  • the Directorate-General of Climate Action (DG CLIMA);
  • the Directorate-General of Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT);
  • the Directorate-General of Environment (DG ENV);
  • the Directorate-General of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO);
  • the Directorate-General of Research and Innovation (DG RTD); and
  • the Directorate-General of Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME).

WHO/Europe also cooperates with the following European Commission agencies:

  • the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
  • the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)
  • the European Environment Agency (EEA)
  • the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Our shared priorities

At the 70th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe in 2020, the European Commission and WHO/Europe issued a joint statement to boost their already strong partnership and adapt it to new health priorities and emerging challenges.

The document calls for closer partnership between WHO/Europe and the European Commission in 5 priority areas of shared interest:

  • health security against health emergencies and other threats
  • effective, accessible, resilient and innovative health systems
  • a comprehensive response to noncommunicable diseases with a focus on cancer
  • sustainable food systems and health
  • health cooperation with non-European Union countries in the WHO European Region.

The EU: an essential partner to WHO/Europe

Strong political and technical cooperation between the EU and WHO/Europe has translated into growing financial cooperation between the organizations, with the EU becoming a major voluntary contributor to WHO/Europe.

Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the partnership between the EU and WHO/Europe has burgeoned, with stronger connections fostered at both regional and country levels. Joint WHO–EU actions have played a pivotal role in the fight against COVID-19 and in fostering longer-term health-system resilience in the Eastern Partnership countries, central Asian countries, the Western Balkans and Turkey. These collaborative efforts have been channelled towards achieving better health and protection for millions of people.

A top contributor to the Region

During the 2020–2021 biennium alone, the portfolio of EU contributions to WHO/Europe totalled US$ 85 million, making the EU the second-largest contributor to the WHO/Europe budget for both base and emergency segments.

This financial cooperation covers a wide range of areas – from COVID-19 response and vaccination in Eastern Partnership countries, central Asian countries and the Western Balkans, to antimicrobial resistance and air pollution at the regional level – and involves a variety of European Commission services.