EPHA is a leading NGO advocating for better health for everyone living in Europe. Our mission is to bring together the public health community to provide thought leadership and facilitate change; to build public health capacity to deliver equitable solutions to European public health challenges, to improve health and reduce health inequalities. Our key role is to promote health in the European Union at the highest levels of policy making across the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council.

80 million people still live in poverty in the EU, and poor living conditions, low income, poor employment conditions and unhealthy diets due to being unable to afford to buy healthy food are all key determinants of health. In addition, many of the key determinants of health lie outside of the control of individual citizens, such as how healthcare systems are managed, how food production in the EU is organized and how trade regulations enable or discourage healthy food choices and how pharmaceutical policies and the cost of medicines are regulated, for example.

EPHA's proposal for an operating grant under a Framework Partnership Agreement covers core operating costs for actions that contribute to the four objectives of the Third Health Programme. EPHA's workplan covers 4 strategic aims: improve overall population health and healthy life years, strengthen European health systems for better patient outcomes and reduced inequalities, and support institutional and policy frameworks that promote health and to strengthen and increase effective public health.

Health in all Policies, prevention-promotion-protection, reducing health inequalities and solidarity are central tenets of EPHA's workplan and are reflected in our approaches to working inter alia on food systems, trade and EU governance. Decreasing health inequalities is a core value that we endeavor to mainstream in all activities. Actions in the 2015 workplan reflect the final year of EPHA’s current strategic plan, and this year will be crucial for setting the 2016 to 2020 strategy.
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Every action the European Heart Network (EHN) undertakes aims to achieve its mission: to prevent and reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD).

To establish its operational objectives and construct its work programme for 2018, EHN has scanned the EU policy horizon and consulted widely with its members.

EU policy areas upon which we will act include sustainable development, common agriculture policy and trade. We aim to inject consideration of CVD/chronic diseases into these areas to help achieve SDG goal 3.4 and the WHA 25x25 targets.

A major focus in 2018 is implementation of EHN’s policy recommendations contained in its paper “Transforming European food and drink policies for cardiovascular health”.

EHN is a closely-knit member organisation and has, consequently, planned a series of workshops and seminars to strengthen its members' capacities and provide knowledge-exchange opportunities for them. EHN will also strengthen its own operations and continue to ensure good governance.

EHN’s near-to-final 2019-2023 strategy encompasses three pillars (general objectives): I-prevent avoidable CVD; II-strengthen the support for people with CVD; III-reinforce CVD research. These pillars are supported by horizontal objectives and our 2018 work programme includes, notably, an operational objective to ensure a framework of strong cooperation with institutional as well as non-governmental, like-minded organisations working to promote health and reduce risk factors.

In conclusion, we believe that the 10 operational objectives and activities that we have selected for 2018 will contribute to achieve the general and specific objectives set out in our Framework Programme Application of June 2017. We believe that, collectively and albeit in the longer term, they will help address the large inequalities due to CVD in the EU and thus provide substantial EU added value.

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