Commission staf working document (2007)

This paper has been prepared to support and provide background on the White Paper “Together for Health: A Strategic Approach for the EU 2008-2013” (COM(2007) 630) of the European Commission. The Health Strategy aims to be a cohesive framework document, giving clear direction to Community activities in the field of health for the coming years in order to further improve and protect health in the EU and beyond its borders. It reinforces the importance of health within key EC1 policies such as the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs, in terms of the links between health and economic prosperity, and the Citizens’ Agenda, in terms of people’s right to be empowered in their health and healthcare. The Strategy is a framework which goes across sectors, recognising the contributions to health of a wide range of other policy areas.