EDITORIAL
The European Union is at a crucial turning point. Its shift toward competitiveness with business-friendly policies brings both opportunities and challenges. While a thriving economy is important, it must not come at the cost of public health or worsen social inequalities. The influence of commercial determinants of health—how business practices affect health—cannot be ignored. This edition highlights how public health advocates are stepping up with innovative solutions and pushing for systemic change for a fairer, healthier, and more prosperous Europe. EuroHealthNet's Director, Caroline Costongs discusses.
In recent months, we have seen a changing narrative around prioritising and safeguarding Europe’s economy, which is under pressure. While we can agree that we need more investment and innovation in our economy, this narrative goes beyond those goals. Under this new narrative, the European Commission indicates that future business activities should become much easier, faster, and simpler.
This new direction is supported by the Draghi Report, which calls for boosting Europe’s competitiveness, through a business-friendly industrial strategy focussed on “less red tape, less regulation.” But what does all this mean for us in public health? The influence of commercial actors on health, known as the commercial determinants of health, is already severely tangible. This impact is now expected to increase even more!
It’s worth noting that the Draghi report was created based on wide consultation with stakeholders such as giants like Amazon, Google, the European Central Bank, and prestigious non-EU universities such as the London School of Economics and Harvard. Yet, for those of us in the civil society health sector, there was no opportunity at all to contribute. Consequently, the report fails to address the risks for health, let alone discuss how investments in health and wellbeing can contribute to a thriving economy.
Delays in health-promoting policies
With the adoption of tighter ‘competitiveness tests’ for policy proposals, great initiatives such as tobacco, alcohol and food measures under Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, as well as proposals for sustainable food systems, pesticide reduction, deforestation-free products, and workplace safety, risk being further delayed, postponed, or just disappearing altogether. The next European Commission competitiveness mandate will also make it easier for corporate lobbyists to engage with EU decision-making, meaning that industry could get its foot even further in the door.
Of course, the private sector will always continue to lobby and will always be a powerful machine. Yet we can’t be discouraged by this in public health. We have a responsibility to boost our advocacy, work together and above all, work smarter with others to address the commercial determinants of health. We also need to step up our work informing the public on the various commercial tactics that keep them hooked on using their health-harmful products.
In this latest edition of our magazine, that’s exactly what EuroHealthNet’s members and those from the larger public health sector are doing. Zsófia Kimmel from the National Centre for Public Health and Pharmacy (NNGYK) in Hungary talks about how they are using innovative communication tactics to reach young people with information about vaping and energy drinks and the importance of clear and digestible communication when it comes to health.
Corporate political activity
The European Commission uses various consultation mechanisms to receive input on their initiatives and to achieve democratic policymaking. But when it comes to taking part in these consultation processes, we are facing a David and Goliath situation. There are over 30,000 lobbyists registered on the EU transparency register, of which a small fraction are civil society or non-profit actors. Plus, many alcohol, tobacco, pharma, and food lobbyists are disguised through foundations or think tanks, and it is not always clear to policymakers who are behind their reports and messages.
Creating a fairer landscape
It’s obvious that industry has many more resources to respond to EU policy developments than civil society. So, how can we make this a fairer landscape? We must build the capacity and resources of civil society, work together in alliances across sectors, and create opportunities for meaningful impact. We also need to work closer with health lawyers to come up with legal solutions, as self-regulation by the private sector simply isn t working. We must close legislative loopholes that are exploited by industry. As Professor Nikhil Gokani of the University of Essex points out in his article on nutrition labelling, for instance, such loopholes make current nutrition labels flawed.
Another side of the struggle is industries' big marketing budgets, used to design attractive packaging and to fill physical and online environments with advertisements. Santé publique France discusses this side of the struggle in France, where alcohol advertising saturates youth spaces, despite regulation that is supposed to protect young people.
A race to the top
As public health professionals, we are well placed to provide the data, strong evidence, and clear recommendations, helping policymakers facilitate healthy policy-decisions. For example, the European Commission will soon be calling to investigate the impact of social media on the mental health of young people. KU Leuven’s Media, Information, and Persuasion Lab is ready to contribute evidence. As Käbi Vanwinkelen explains in her article, today’s marketing platforms are tailor-made for exploitation, feeding us what industry wants us to consume—literally and figuratively.
Lastly, we need to reflect on why it is that commercial actors have the power that they do. What is the systemic change needed to create a system that works for the many, not just the few? Our Senior Research Coordinator, Samuele Tonello, explores an underlying problem, wealth inequalities, calling for fairer distribution so that societies can benefit from stronger economies and healthier citizens. He argues that we need regulation to ensure health is an absolute goal, not a commodity that can be sacrificed for the profit of a few.
When industries balance profitability with wellbeing—for instance, by fostering healthier food systems—societies reap the rewards. A thriving economy and public health can and should go hand in hand, creating an honest cycle that benefits everyone. Experts from the JA PreventNCD look at how an economic system that prioritises wellbeing can help address the dangers posed by commercial forces by choosing long-term gains that benefit all-over short-term profits that serve only a few.
What kind of future do we want for Europe? One where economies thrive at the expense of people and the planet? Or one where fair resource distribution leads to stronger economies and healthier citizens?
We don’t want to compete with the US or China in a ‘race to the bottom’. We want to uphold green, social, and health standards in our economies and instead have a ‘race to the top.’ It’s why acting on the commercial determinants of health is more important than ever for the next EU mandate.
Until next time, and thank you for reading – Caroline
Caroline Costongs
Caroline Costongs is Director of EuroHealthNet and expert in public health and health promotion. Caroline leads a multi-disciplinary team working on European and (sub)national policy, advocacy, research and capacity building addressing health inequalities. Caroline is active in various EU and WHO fora, Advisory Boards and various EU projects, and is a member of the ICC – International Council for the European Public Health Conference.