On Tuesday 24 February, members of European Parliament, researchers and European organisations active in the field of health announced the creation of the ‘Exposome Alliance’, designed to guide EU policies towards a more prevention-oriented approach in health and the environment.
On the initiative of Christophe Clergeau (S&D, French), a cross-party consensus has emerged around a common objective: to reduce cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and other non-infectious diseases by addressing all the exposures that cause them.
Other MEPs involved include Tomislav Sokol (EPP, Croatian) and Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA, Luxembourgish).
At an event organised at European Parliament with the members of this alliance, speakers highlighted the growing scientific consensus surrounding the concept of the exposome, which refers to all the environmental, chemical, social and lifestyle exposures that shape health throughout life. These exposures are thought to be responsible for up to 90% of negative health effects.
Three strategic priorities to be taken into account by the European Commission and Member States in the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) were presented:
- creating a €1 billion ‘Mission Exposome’ in the next Horizon Europe programme, including a longitudinal European cohort of 10 million people;
- setting up a European Exposome Data Space, to securely link health, environmental and social data across borders;
- establishing a European Common Prevention Pillar, aimed at better coordinating upstream action on non-communicable diseases (policies relating to the environment, chemicals, food, housing, transport, work and social inequalities).
Mr Clergeau explained that the MEPs (EPP, S&D, Renew Europe, Greens/EFA) belonging to the Alliance had agreed on this agenda, even though it was clear that “we would not have exactly the same positions on pesticides, chemical substances or, more broadly, on the political treatment of these issues”. He added that they are working together to re-establish the ‘EU4Health’ programme in the 2028-2034 MFF. The discussion is still open, but the desired amount for this programme would be around €10 billion over seven years, he said. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)