adies and gentlemen, it is really a great honour to address you today at the Central and Eastern European Policy Summit. Looking at health, looking at public health, we gather here today not only to discuss challenges, but to foster collaboration and envision a healthier future for all Europeans, Croatians, all of all of the neighboring countries, all of Europe. Basically, this is a vision which is rooted in solidarity, science and trust reaffirmed, unfortunately, in times when it was the toughest, when we speak of public health during and after the pandemic, but we’ve learned a lot.

Congratulations to the Health Hub for this initiative and for working on raising public awareness around these topics. Vaccination remains one of the most powerful tools to protect public health, save lives, and reduce health care costs. Therefore, we applaud to the choice of today’s topic. However, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, disparities in vaccine confidence and acceptance persist, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. They undermine public health, they deepen inequalities, and they do increase the risk of preventable disease outbreaks across the European Union. So the pandemic also underscored the critical importance for health, for the functioning of our societies and economies, while highlighting the urgent, really urgent need to strengthen the resilience of health systems across Europe. So this is the core mission of the European Commission’s European Health Union initiative. It really aims to ensure better preparedness for future health crises, equitable access to high quality healthcare across Europe and the availability of essential medical products for all EU citizens.

“European Commission’s European Health Union initiative really aims to ensure better preparedness for future health crises, equitable access to high quality healthcare across Europe and the availability of essential medical products for all EU citizens.”

Deputy Head of European Commission in Croatia, Head of Media

This are very important topics that we will be speaking about in the months and years to come. So today’s Summit I see as an opportunity to address critical issues such as disparities in vaccination rates, the spread of misinformation and barriers to equitable healthcare. Tackling these challenges requires not only innovative policies, but also enhanced collaboration. And I stress this here among governments, health care professionals and civil society and then come into play the European Commission as well. Of course, European cooperation remains key to building trust in public health measures and ensuring that no one, really no one, is left behind.

“European cooperation remains key to building trust in public health measures and ensuring that no one, really no one, is left behind.”

Deputy Head of European Commission in Croatia, Head of Media

As outlined in the European Commission’s Political Guidelines for the period 2024.-2029., we (will) have a new Commission for this period and new strategy will be presented to support medical countermeasures against very important things. Now, public health threats, including those related to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear security, encompassing joint procurement and stockpiling the former and the latter also very important topics. Ladies and gentlemen, the future of health in Europe and beyond really depends on all the choices we make today and all the things we communicate today. By embracing solidarity, promoting data driven solutions, and fostering international partnerships, we can really create a healthier, more resilient Europe. Yes, this includes Central and Eastern Europe and contribute to better health outcomes across the globe. So thanking once more to our partners and friends from the Health Hub, I wish you a fruitful discussion and wishing you many more to come.