Sleep Health Europe – Launch Event

On 5 March 2026, the Sleep Health Europe Coalition convened policymakers, clinicians, researchers, patient representatives, and industry partners in Brussels to mark its formal launch. Held as a closed, invite-only afternoon session in a curated roundtable format, the event brought together a focused group of stakeholders working at the intersection of EU health policy, research, and care delivery.

The programme opened with an experts’ panel exploring how sleep health can be positioned within current EU priorities, including public health literacy and prevention, cardiovascular policy developments, and broader non-communicable disease and brain health frameworks. The panel brought together Dr. Alanna Hare (President of the British Sleep Society and consultant in sleep and respiratory medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust), Prof. Gianfranco Parati (Professor of Cardiology at the University of Milan and President of the Italian Society of Hypertension), Dr. Julia Mader (Professor of Diabetes Technology and Executive Board Member of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes), and Frédéric Destrebecq (Executive Director of the European Brain Council). MEP Tomislav Sokol joined to share a parliamentary perspective, highlighting sleep as a cross-cutting health issue that deserves stronger recognition across EU policy. The session also featured a contribution from Kristian Schmidt, Director for Land Transport at DG MOVE and European Road Safety Coordinator, on the links between sleep and transport safety.

After a coffee break, a moderated roundtable invited participants to refine the Coalition’s priorities and help shape its 2026 workplan. Three areas of focus were confirmed:

• Sleep literacy and awareness;
• Embedding sleep within the Safe Hearts Plan (EU Cardiovascular Health Plan);
• Screening and prevention pathways for non-communicable diseases (incl. brain and mental health).

The discussion also covered connections to workforce wellbeing, and evidence and innovation, alongside the role of patient voices in shaping policy.

The launch marked the start of an ongoing conversation. The Coalition is now building on these discussions through online sessions and further meetings, with the aim of strengthening EU-level recognition of sleep health and embedding it more systematically across prevention, public health, research, mental and neurological health, and workforce agendas.

The event video, capturing highlights and reflections from the day, is available below.

If you would like to learn more about the Coalition’s work or explore involvement, please contact us at info@sleephealtheurope.eu or use the contact form available on our Contact Us page.