Event highlights
Twelve private sector representatives from associations for the pharmaceutical, health-care, health data and technology, and consumer product industries, contributed to a consultation on the second European Programme of Work 2026–2030 (EPW2) on 4 April 2025.
Those participating expressed strong appreciation for the opportunity to take part in the development process, and acknowledged the importance of building EPW2 around the megatrends of health emergencies, climate change, an ageing population, the burden of noncommunicable disease and mental health, and the digital revolution.
Key themes running through the discussions included:
- Health security. The importance of health in regional security, as a building block for economic stability and societal well-being was emphasized. Participants noted the challenge of strained public health budgets. They also underlined how essential collaboration in research and development is, in developing critical medicines (such as COVID-19 vaccines), and the risk to health security of weaker global collaboration.
- Focus on prevention. A participant spoke of the need to put incentives in place to shift the focus to prevention throughout care pathways – to address risk factors as part of primary prevention, identify underdiagnosis in secondary prevention, and offer appropriate medication or surgery in tertiary prevention.
- New narrative on data. A participant called for a change in mindset to one that recognizes that sharing data is a virtuous circle – benefitting the individual in taking care of themselves, while also contributing to research and development.
- Accelerating innovation uptake. The need to align digital health regulations to accelerate innovation (especially through European Health Data Space implementation) was expressed. Participants also called on WHO/Europe to leverage grassroots innovation and long-term clinical partnerships to improve cardiovascular outcomes, and to collaborate more closely with private sector actors in understanding real-world needs, solutions and technology implementation.
- Enhancing health workforce skills. Investing in enhancing the skills and capabilities of the health workforce to deliver digital solutions, and ensure the interoperability of data and digital tools across different areas was mentioned. In addition, the challenge of motivating young people to take up a career in the health sector was raised.
Members of WHO/Europe’s Standing Committee of the Regional Committee from Romania and Greece also attended the meeting.
The consultation identified many areas of potential collaboration, and participants also underlined their commitment to contribute to EPW2 as it moves forward.
Event notice
Representatives from different private sector areas, including consumer products, health care, pharmaceuticals and technology, will take part in an online consultation to inform the development of the second European Programme of Work 2026–2030 (EPW2).
The key objectives of this consultation are to:
- ensure that EPW2 incorporates diverse and inclusive perspectives that reflect the realities of the private sector’s contributions to health systems and its capacity for innovation;
- discuss the megatrends shaping health in the Region – such as the rise of digital health technologies, climate change impacts on health, evolving disease patterns and demographic shifts – and elicit the private sector’s perspective on their implications for EPW2;
- identify strategies for collective action across sectors and industries that will help future-proof health systems, making them more resilient, equitable and sustainable; and
- foster collaboration between the public and private sectors, strengthening partnerships that can drive forward key health initiatives in the European Region.
In addition, representatives from Member States, civil society and other stakeholders have been invited to observe the discussions.
Collaboration across sectors is essential to achieving the ambitious health goals proposed in EPW2. This meeting marks an important step in fostering a unified, cross-sectoral approach to improve health in the WHO European Region.
WHO/Europe and the private sector
The private sector plays a pivotal role in advancing public health goals. Through business associations, it has been involved in several recent WHO/Europe initiatives, such as the Access to Novel Medicines Platform and Strategic Partners’ Initiative on Data and Digital Health, which comply with WHO’s Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors.