EU health agenda goes global in von der Leyen’s address
In her State of the Union speech, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU will head a new Global Health Resilience Initiative, stressing that Europe must take the lead on global health and warning that disinformation is undermining global progress. This is not the EU’s first step in this direction. In November 2022, the Commission adopted the EU Global Health Strategy, making health a central pillar of the bloc’s external policy.
Is Ursula von der Leyen’s speech signalling a new direction for the EU health policy agenda?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the State of the European Union address has been a defining moment for the EU’s health policy agenda.
This year’s edition appears to mark another shift, as it took health policy in a strikingly different direction, with a clear global emphasis.
Von der Leyen positioned the EU as a leader on the world stage at a time when others—notably the United States—are stepping back.
“The world is looking to Europe – and Europe is ready to lead,” von der Leyen told MEPs.
