HEAL and Mutualités Libres’ conference: Healthy cities, healthy people – Pathways for clean air in the EU’s urban environments

On 23 April 2024, HEAL and the Belgian Independent Health Insurance Funds (MLOZ) will be organising an international conference in Brussels, under the auspices of the Belgian EU Presidency. The event will bring together EU and urban decision-makers, health stakeholders, scientists and civil society. On the eve of the 2024 EU elections, and next EU policy cycle 2024-2029, this conference aims to identify pathways to reach good air quality for everyone, everywhere in cities.   

See the final programme here. 

Most Europeans live in cities, and the rate of urbanisation is set to further increase.    

Poor air quality is a major and persistent challenge in urban environments, impacting the health and quality of life of residents, irrespective of where they live. In the overwhelming majority of cities in the EU, air quality is worse than what the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends, as a result of pollution from the household sectors and transport.  

This conference will bring together EU and urban decision-makers, health stakeholders, scientists and civil society, with the aim to present recent evidence on the health and economic benefits of sustainable mobility, and share good practice on measures initiated by city decision-makers. As well as showcase stakeholders’ engagement for cleaning up the air in the city of Brussels. 

Keynote speeches by:

• Patrick Child, Deputy-Director General of DG Environment (European Commission)
• Alain Maron, Minister of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region.

Presentations and panel discussions with the following speakers:  

• Alberto Gonzalez Ortiz, European Environment Agency (EEA)
• Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, ISGlobal
• Zorana Jovanovic Andersen, EU Exhaustion project & European Respiratory Society
• Rachel Aldred, University of Westminster
• Luk Bruyneel, Mutualités Libres/Onafhankelijke Ziekenfondsen
• Jacek Kisiel, City of Warsaw
• Dorthe Nielsen, Eurocities
• Julia Poliscanova, Transport & Environment / Clean Cities Campaign
• Oskar Bonte, Flemish Youth Council.

Roundtable with Brussels stakeholders including: 

• Tim Cassiers, BRAL 
• Renaud Leemans, Les Chercheurs d’Air 
• Marie-Charlotte Debouche, ClientEarth 
• Dr. Patricia Palacios, Société Scientifique de Médecine Générale (SSMG). 

Moderator: Sonja van Renssen

See the biographies of the speakers here.  

See the final programme here. 

Date: Tuesday, 23 April 2024 

Time: 09:00-13:00 CET 

Venue: nhow Brussels Bloom Hotel, located at Rue Royale 250, 1210 Bruxelles, Belgium  

Format:  

• Translation FR – NL – EN 
• Livestream