International

The Health Council is an active member of EuSANH, a European network of national scientific advisory bodies in the field of public health. The national advisory bodies work closely together to arrive at a more effective and efficient use of scientific knowledge in public health policy at both the national and European level. The Health Council currently holds the chairmanship and secretariat (read more).

The Health Council monitors the latest operations, procedures, medical aids and medicines through participation in, for example, EuroScan (an international network for identifying important emerging health technologies), HTAi (an umbrella organisation in the field of health technology assessment) and INATHA (an international network for organisations in this field). The Council is also in contact with the Health Evidence Network of WHO Europe for independent and reliable information in the field of public health and healthcare.

In order to identify and report on issues in the field of nutrition and food quality, the Council closely follows the advisory reports of international organisations such as EFSA, WHO and FAO.

In the area of electromagnetic fields, radiation and health, the Council works together with the WHO and Belgium’s Superior Health Council.

In the area of protection against harmful substances at the workplace, the Council assesses the toxic qualities of substances, sometimes in cooperation with foreign institutes such as the North European Nordic Expert Group (NEG), the American National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), or the French Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l’Alimentation, de l’Environnement et du Travail (ANSES, previously AFSSET). The Council also coordinates its activities with the European Scientific Committee for Occupational Exposure Limits (SCOEL) and the Senatskommission zur Prüfung gesundheitsschädlicher Arbeitsstoffe of the Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).

The Council furthermore maintains close ties with the American Institute of Medicine (IOM). In the area of health and ethics, the Council participates in the NEC forum (Forum of National Ethics Councils) and COMETH (Conference of National Ethics Committees), an informal network in the member countries of the Council of Europe.