EFA joined the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) Annual General Assembly on October 1-2 in Brussels, represented by EFA Senior Policy Advisor Panagiotis Chaslaridis. This year’s event brought together members and stakeholders at a crucial time to align their voices as the EU’s new legislative mandate takes shape. Together with other HEAL member associations, we discussed strategic priorities for tackling urgent environmental and health issues across Europe affecting allergy, atopic eczema, asthma and COPD patients, with a focus on the impacts of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
EFA re-elected at the HEAL Executive Committee
As founding member of HEAL, and member of the Executive Committee, EFA brings the essential patient voices in shaping policies that protect the environment and public health. Our patient community calls for urgent responses to the environmental factors that are responsible for the onset and worsening of chronic allergy and airways diseases, such as striving for cleaner air, healthier indoor environments, and actions to reduce environmental hazards affecting respiratory and skin health.
A highlight of this year’s agenda was the elections of HEAL’s Executive Committee for the 2024-2028 term, in which EFA was re-elected, represented by Panagiotis Chaslaridis .
How can the EU address triple crises: climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss?
In her keynote speech, Leena Ylä-Mononen, the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency (EEA) emphasised the severe health impacts of today’s interconnected crises — climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss on the most vulnerable groups in society, like chronic disease patients. She called for a paradigm shift in how we perceive and address the environmental stressors on health, highlighting the need for greater public awareness, stronger collaboration and transparent risk communication. According to Ms. Ylä-Mononen, these elements are essential not only for building trust at the community level, but also fostering synergies between health and environmental sectors.
You can find more information on the HEAL Annual General Assembly here.