Prague, 2.9.2024 – The GLOBSEC Forum 2024 underscored a critical challenge for the European Union: bridging the health resilience gap across its member states, particularly between Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the rest of the continent. The future security and economic prosperity of the EU could be at stake if this issue remains unaddressed.
The GLOBSEC Healthcare Readiness Index, unveiled at the Forum, revealed stark disparities in health resilience between regions. A distinguished panel of experts in public health, behavioral economics, and regulatory policy warned that without immediate action, the EU’s competitive edge and security could be compromised. “Failure to act now could undermine the Union’s good fortunes when it comes to its security and competitiveness in the near future. So far, these issues have not been sufficiently considered in the current security debate, and GLOBSEC Forum aims to bring them to the forefront,” stated Martin Smatana, GLOBSEC Senior Fellow and author of the Index.
Health Resilience: The Backbone of EU’s Security
“Security is not just about weapons and deterrence,” remarked Enrico Letta, former Prime Minister of Italy, during the Forum.“Economic competitiveness plays a crucial role as well.”This sentiment was echoed by other distinguished speakers, who stressed that health resilience of the EU’s population is the backbone of that.
Focus on Motivation, Not Just Regulation
A recurring theme throughout the Forum was the importance of prioritizing motivation over regulation in policy creation. Behavioral economics expert and Professor Salvatore Barbaro from Johann Gutenberg University Mainz highlighted the need to understand and leverage human behavior in reducing harmful practices. “Our goal is to help people; therefore, we need to understand what they would be inclined to do to reduce the harmful effects of their behavior”. He pointed out at significant differences between men and women in this respect. “Any effective policy measure needs to reflect that.”
The speakers also discussed the pressing need to curb the consumption of sugar, alcohol, and cigarettes—key risk factors for various diseases. Aleš Rod, a member of the National Economic Council of the Czech Government, emphasized that better health prevention and more effective policies could significantly boost economic activity, a necessity given Europe’s aging population.
A Tailored, Integrated Approach to Policy
Florin Spataru, Former Minister of Economy and Advisor to the Prime Minister of Romania, warned against implementing quick fixes. “There is no magic solution. We need to put forward an integrated public policy that encompasses not only economic but also behavioral aspects.”
Professor Andrzej Fal, President of the Polish Society for Public Health, argued for a balanced approach: “There should be a pan-EU policy advising Member States on what to do. But every country should have the flexibility to add specific measures tailored to its unique challenges.”
Conclusion: The Path Forward
As Europe faces significant demographic shifts and the lingering impacts of the pandemic, the GLOBSEC Forum 2024 calls for a unified yet flexible approach to health resilience. The forum’s experts agreed that while a pan-European policy framework is crucial, the success of such policies depends on their adaptation to the specific needs of individual member states.
The road to a secure, competitive, and resilient Europe lies in closing the health resilience gap, focusing on motivation over regulation, and ensuring that economic policies are inclusive of behavioral aspects. Only by addressing these issues can the EU safeguard its future security and prosperity.
GLOBSEC Healthcare Readiness Index
The index analyses the readiness of countries’ health systems to face future challenges such as ageing and growth of non-communicable diseases. It utilizes 38 different indicators, which are presented as a single composite value.
Norway remained in the 2023 update of the index the best prepared country, followed by the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and Denmark. Each of the countries scored at least 70 points in the index. On the other hand, out of the 10 least prepared countries, as many as 9 are from the CEE region. Bulgaria, Poland, Latvia, Romania and Slovak Republic were the worst performers. Healthcare systems of each of these countries had less than 50 points, highlighting an urgent need for improvement.
About GLOBSEC:
GLOBSEC is an action-oriented policy institution born in Central Europe, with an international presence in Bratislava, Prague, Brussels, Vienna, Kyiv, and Washington D.C. Established in 2005, GLOBSEC is an independent, non-partisan, non-governmental organisation dedicated to enhancing security, prosperity, and sustainability in Europe and the world. To this goal contributes the annual GLOBSEC Forum, one of the leading global security conferences. GLOBSEC also organises the annual GLOBSEC Tatra Summit, a conference that provides the opportunity for experts to have discussions on the economic future of Europe.
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