21 May Senior fellow to serve European Health Union in Lancet Commission

Through its fellows’ network, AIGHD again will help shape EU health policy for a more resilient future.

Senior fellow and AIGHD academic council member, Prof. Anniek de Ruijter, has been selected as a member of the newly formed Lancet Commission on the European Health Union. She is one of 23 commissioners from 15 countries setting their sights on “strengthening the union for and through health”.

“We ask: what should a European Health Union look like, not only in deepening integration within Europe, but also in shaping the EU’s role for people’s health globally?” she explained.

De Ruijter, who serves as director of the Law Centre for Health and Life at the University of Amsterdam, joins commissioners with expertise in health policy, health economics, clinical practice, public health, data science, global health governance, and ethics.

‘Much-needed positive identity for EU’

Writing in the Lancet about its formation, the commissioners described how EU health policy usually emerged in response to crises rather than from a well-considered vision. Polling shows Europeans strongly support concerted action on public health matters, however, offering the chance of “a much-needed positive identity for the EU in the eyes of its citizens”.

As for global health, the commissioners recommend that the EU address the health emergency resulting from the US dismantling its international aid programmes to reassert its leadership.

Taking part in this initiative creates opportunities to share knowledge and contribute to key policy discussions. Such involvement supports evidence-based decision-making, staying updated on developments in European health policy, and strengthening collaboration between researchers, healthcare providers, and policymakers.

The commission is hosted by the Lancet group, with its secretariat based at the Heidelberg Institute for Global Health at Heidelberg University.

Article based on text by the Law Centre for Health and Life.