25 November 2026, Residence Palace, Brussels and livestreamed
The persistent and growing health burden from pollution and climate change is not only of concern for individuals and communities, but also for society at large.
As the top environmental threat to the health of people across Europe, air pollution leads to premature deaths and contributes to the aggravation of chronic ill-health including asthma or other respiratory diseases. But the impacts from pollution are not felt equally, with those living close to busy roads in cities, or citizens in Eastern European member states facing a higher risk. The EU Midterm review of the Zero Pollution Plan’s progress underlines that a clean environment is also key for a competitive and sustainable economy, for instance productivity losses from pollution exposure.
Join us on 25 November to explore how we can reduce the health and societal costs of environmental stressors.
This high-level conference will bring together EU, national and local policy-makers, scientists, health experts and civil society organisations to present the latest evidence on the health costs of pollution and discuss the way forward for an EU 2030 agenda which invests in people’s health, reduces disease cost, and lessens inequalities. As part of our exciting agenda, speakers will include:
- Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director, European Environment Agency
- Veronica Manfredi, Director, DG Environment
- Frank Siebern-Thomas, Heat of Unit Green Transition, DG EMPL
- Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General, POLIS
- Suzanne Costello, CEO All Island Institute of Public Health, Ireland
The conference is recognised as an Associated Presidency Event as part of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026.
The conference is organised by the BEST-COST and UBDPolicy research projects, together with their partners in the METEOR cluster. This EU Horizon research cluster has made significant advances in assessing the health cost of the environmental disease burden. The conference will spotlight key outcomes as well as policy recommendations from the projects to protect our health and the planet.
A full agenda will be shared soon.
Register here and join us on 25 November to share your perspective on green, zero-pollution and healthy living environments!
Practical information
When: 25 November 2026 | 9:15-17:45 CET
Where: Residence Palace, Brussels and online
