On 27 April, in Sitges, Spain, the Global Exposome Summit opened with a strong focus on policy, bringing together scientific leadership and high‑level decision‑makers to position the exposome as a strategic framework for prevention, public health and European competitiveness.
The opening and morning policy sessions were designed to create a structured science–policy interface, aligning exposome research with current and future EU priorities. They brought together Members of the European Parliament, representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission, and national public health agencies, notably from France.
Political momentum for the exposome
Several Members of the European Parliament actively contributed to the discussions, highlighting the growing political attention to the exposome approach:
- Christophe Clergeau (S&D, France) underlined that the exposome can be a game changer for delivering a European prevention agenda, notably by demonstrating the benefits of prevention for pregnant women, children and long‑term population health.
- Marta Temido (S&D, Portugal) reaffirmed political willingness to explore a dedicated Mission on the Exposome in the next EU research framework programme.
- Tomislav Sokol (EPP, Croatia) highlighted the European Health Data Space (EHDS) as a potential blueprint for future exposome data infrastructures, with a long‑term vision of connecting exposomics and health data.
- Marcos Ros Sempere (S&D, Spain) stressed how the New European Bauhaus can serve as a practical framework to integrate sustainability and health into housing and urban environments.
- Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA, Luxembourg) emphasised the need for a European Common Prevention Pillar grounded in exposome science, pointing to the high economic and societal costs of non‑communicable diseases and the persistent under‑investment in prevention compared to disease management.
A shared science‑for‑policy agenda
Contributions from the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the European Commission (DG RTD), and organisations such as the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) reinforced a shared message: preventing disease requires better integration of environmental, social and health determinants, and the exposome provides a unifying framework to achieve this.
The growing political momentum, together with the need for more coordinated science‑for‑policy action, highlights an encouraging alignment between research, policy and public health communities at European level.
Media coverage and resources
The policy dimension of the Global Exposome Summit was covered by Euractiv, reflecting the increasing relevance of the exposome in European policymaking.
https://humanexposome.net/news/recap-global-exposome-summit/
📸 Photos from the event:
