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13 November 2023 — Europe is facing increasingly complex and frequent threats to health and well-being. Many of these threats, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic, serve as a reminder that human health is interconnected with the health of animals, plants, and ecosystems.
It is now widely acknowledged that responding to health threats requires implementing the One Health approach, a concept which recognises the need for transdisciplinary and multisectoral collaboration across the domains of human, animal, plant and ecosystem health. The One Health approach has gained significant relevance in the European Union, and it is reflected in the ambitious goals contained in the European Green Deal, the European Health Union, and the EU Global Health Strategy. However, many challenges remain in translating this concept into action.
The One Health Conference – One Health for All, All for One Health is organised by the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission (DG SANTE). Its objective is to take stock of the current state of implementation of the One Health approach in Europe and discuss how the approach could be further strengthened in the future.
EEA's role in the event
The European Environment Agency has recently established a cross-agency task force on One Health together with the other agencies under the remit of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI Committee), namely the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The task force aims to further strengthen the collaborative efforts of the five agencies in areas including strategic and research coordination, provision of more integrated support to policy-makers, and development of joint activities.
The five ENVI agencies will also be present at the conference with a dedicated booth to illustrate their ongoing One Health actions.
Joint Statement by EU Agencies
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), European Environment Agency (EEA), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued a joint statement on 13 November to express their joint commitment as EU agencies to fully support the One Health agenda in Europe.