Programme

The State of Health in the EU

08:15-09:00 - Registration

09:00-10:00 - Inaugural session

• Séamus Boland, President of the Civil Society Organisations’ Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC);
• Christie Morreale, Vice President of the Walloon government, Minister for Employment, Training, Health, Social Action, the Social Economy, Equality of Opportunity and Women's rights;
• Marc De Paoli, Managing Director of the Liège University Hospital;
• Jean-Pascal Labille, Secretary-General of Solidaris Mutualité - ‘Belgian civil society's call for a paradigm change in Europe in light of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the next legislative term’.

10:00-11:15 - Commitment to One Health

Moderator: Alain Coheur, Vice-President of the EESC’s INT Section and Director of European and International Affairs at Solidaris Mutualité

Keynote address

Sandra Gallina, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety – ‘One health for all, all for one health’

• Professor Marius Gilbert, Epidemiologist and Vice-rector of research and valorisation at the Université Libre de Bruxelles;
• Professor Nicolas Antoine-Moussiaux, Coordinator of the Advanced Master in Integrated Management of Health Risks at the University of Liège;
• Estelle Ceulemans, former General-Secretary of the General Labour Federation of Belgium - Brussels;
• Q&A session.

11:15-12:30 - Digital innovations and their impact on health

Moderator: Danko Relić, Member of the EESC’s Civil Society Organisations’ Group and Vice-President of the Andrija Štampar Public Health Association (UNZAŠ) in Croatia

Keynote address

• Martin Dorazil, Deputy Head of the Digital Health Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety;
• Dr Gaëtan Letesson, Head of the Nuclear Medicine Department at the Hôpital de la Citadelle;
• Professor Edouard Louis, Head of the Gastroenterology Department at the Liège University Hospital and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Liège;
• Q&A session.

12:30-13:30 - Lunch

13:30-14:45 - Sustainability and future-proofing health systems through social investment

Moderator: Sif Holst, Vice-President of the EESC's Civil Society Organisations’ Group, President of the EESC's Equality Group and Vice-President of the Disabled People's Organisations Denmark

Keynote address

Laurence Carabin, Coordinator of the Financial Department at the Liège University Hospital

• Francesco Corti, Advisor in the Office of the Belgian Federal Minister of Social Affairs and Health;
• Pascal Garel, Director-General of the European Hospital and Healthcare Federation – 'Representing hospitals in the European health landscape’;
• Dr Grégory Detheux, Anesthetist, and Michel Mathieu, Head Nurse, 'Supporting sustainable best practices at hospitals: the case of green blocks';
• Q&A session.

14:45-16:00 - The global fight against health inequalities through the prism of European solidarity: the case of rare diseases

Moderator: Ágnes Cser, Member of the EESC’s Civil Society Organisations’ Group and representative of the Hungarian Alliance for Children and Youth (MAGYISZ)

Keynote address

Professor Vincent Bours, Geneticist at the Liège University Hospital and the research institute GIGA

• Tomasz Grybek, Member of the Board of Directors of EURORDIS;
• Anne-Sophie Lapointe, Head of the RareDiSeases Project, Organisation of the Directorate-General for Care Provision (DGOS), French Ministry of Labour, Health and Solidarity;
• Annabelle Calomme, Scientist, Sciensano Rare Diseases Team and Orphanet Belgium;
• Q&A session.

16:00-16:30 - Summary of work and prospects

• Alain Coheur, Vice-President of the EESC’s INT section and Director of European and International Affairs at Solidaris Mutualité