„European Public Health 20 years after the Maastricht Treaty -- Turning past experiences into visions” is the motto of a conference which will be held by the Department of International Health, Maastricht University, on May 22 – 23, 2013, in Maastricht (Netherlands). Partners supporting the event are the European Health Forum Gastein, the Maastricht Centre for European Governance, the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission as well as the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER).

The Maastricht Treaty, signed in 1992 and entered into force in 1993, introduced a public health mandate for the European Union for the first time. The Treaty has been the basis for important joint and coordinated public health actions. “These EU-wide efforts have largely contributed to improve the health protection of more than 500 million citizens”, says conference host Prof Helmut Brand, Head of the Department of International Health at Maastricht University and President of the European Health Forum Gastein. “But the EU health mandate will have to be reshaped for several reasons. The challenges in public health have changed dramatically since Maastricht, and there are on-going discussions on the development of the European architecture per se.”

The conference will take stock of past EU action related to health and will highlight the work currently going on. Moreover, a discussion on the future of public health at EU level will be initiated.

Program and further information: http://euprevent.compleet.nu/evenement/eph/

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