The Health and Environment Alliance organises a webinar on the impact of pesticides on human health on the occasion of the Pesticide Action Week 2025. The webinar will see experts from the European Environment Agency and others present their work on this front.
Press note: HEAL together, with the other EDC-Free Europe coalition campaign partners, are calling on the European Commission to urgently propose the non-renewal of two harmful pesticides—fenoxaprop-P-ethyl and fludioxonil.
In the coming months, EU institutions will negotiate the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). The MFF is the EU’s long-term budget, usually covering a seven-year period. It details the public spending for different areas of EU policies, including environment and climate action.
Against the backdrop of an ever-growing body of evidence on the health impacts and cost of people's exposure to pollution, HEAL is concerned that the Clean Industrial Deal misses the opportunity to set the EU on the path for swift and significant pollution reduction and disease prevention. To work for people in the EU and their health, the Clean Industrial Deal needs to be a zero pollution deal, with three principles at its core.
Today, the European Commission published its Vision for Agriculture and Food, outlining plans for the European agri-food sector for this 2024-2029 term.
85 organisations including HEAL have in January 2025 published a roadmap for a pesticide phase-out: “A swift and just transition to phase out pesticides and safeguard biodiversity and people’s health must remain a top priority for the new European Commission. This goal should be central to the EU’s Vision for Agriculture and Food, which is expected on 19 February 2025.”
HEAL is among a number of organisations who have written to the new Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen to offer our help and expertise in shaping policies to support a transition to fair, healthy, and sustainable food and farming systems.
Over the past days, MEPs held confirmation hearings with Vice-President-designate Ribera, Vice-President-designate Séjourné and Commissioner-designate Hoekstra, whose complementary and mutually enabling portfolios respectively focus on “Clean, Just and Competitive Transition”, “Prosperity and Industrial Strategy” and “Climate, Net-Zero and Clean Growth”. HEAL was encouraged to see strong coherence among the three designates on their shared commitment to protecting health against this triple crisis.
A coalition of 49 environmental and health organisations is now urging the European Commission and EU member states to immediately ban flufenacet in a joint letter.
Yesterday, MEPs held a confirmation hearing with Commissioner-designate Várhelyi, whose portfolio includes health and animal welfare.
Yesterday, MEPs held the confirmation hearing with Commissioner-designate Roswall, whose portfolio focuses on environment, water resilience and a competitive circular economy.
Together with 180+ organisations, HEAL cal on the EU Commission to provide guarantees on climate, nature and public health, ensuring the protection of people.
HEAL has published suggestions for Members of European Parliament on what questions to ask candidates for Commissioner positions. From 4 – 12 November, the European Parliament will hold hearings with all candidates for the Commission 2024-2029.
HEAL has sent a letter to permanent representations of EU member states and EU environment ministers today, calling on their support and leadership to ensure that previous commitments made for a high level of health and environment protection will remain at the heart of the 2024-2029 EU Commission mandate, including delivering on the health protective measures promised in the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) and the revision of REACH with no further delay.
Our Annual Report covering the financial period of March 2023 – March 2024 has just been published! Find out about our overarching strategic goals and the wide range of activities on air quality, climate and energy, chemicals pesticides, as well as research projects, using a myriad of tools and channels and often working with partners and in coalition.
HEAL calls on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to commit to protecting people’s health from the triple crisis during her second term in a letter. HEAL urges her to safeguard and strengthen the EU climate and environmental acquis for better health, and accelerate on the zero pollution path, including for the foreseen reform of the EU chemicals law REACH.
The Green 10 coalition, which HEAL is a part of, encourages the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola upon her re-election to put the climate, biodiversity and pollution emergency at the forefront of her tenure.
The Green 10 coalition, which HEAL is a part of, encourages the EU Commission President to prioritize and scale up the Green Deal commitments towards zero pollution, thriving nature and health.
HEAL has sent a letter to Members of the European Parliament urging them to commit to protecting health against climate, environmental threats in the next five years, in their positions on legislative proposals as well as in all budgetary and financial decisions.
Following five years of research, the EU-funded research project FREIA has published recommendations for health promotion strategies and EU-wide policy action to reduce exposure.
