A long-term vision for a sustainable European health eco-system grounded in social mobilization, health literacy, planetary health and economy of well-being

Health systems across Europe are facing unprecedented pressure. In this regard, the European Health Futures Forum (EHFF) recognized the need for sustainable strategies and solutions. In response, the EHFF conducted a strategic foresight study focusing on the development of a vision for the European health ecosystem moving forward. The aim of the foresight study was to better understand 1) the challenges of current health systems; 2) what the future for more effective and people-centred health systems might look like; and 3) the mechanisms needed to support a shift from the current to the desired future health system. The foresight study used the Three Horizons Framework methodology which is a participatory, co-creative, transformation-oriented future scenario approach. The resulting vision derived from the foresight study was based on 32 survey responses yielding 600 distilled answers divided into the three horizons of the present (H1), the desired future (H3), and a possible pathway between them (H2). Essentially, the generated vision indicates a pathway moving from overall health system failure to a resilient ecosystem supported by health literacy, planetary health, and the development of a well-being economy. The vision highlights the urgency to act on the current gaps, building on a new culture of education and engagement for the health of the public and the planet. How the change pathway can start to be operationalised is discussed.