What happened
Health ministers and delegates from all 53 Member States of the World Health Organization’s European Region have unanimously adopted two plans that respond to big changes already under way: people living longer, and artificial intelligence (AI) entering health care. Both were agreed at the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, which closed in Copenhagen on 29 October, WHO/Europe announced.
The first, ‘Ageing is living’, is a strategy for 2026 to 2030 to help people live longer, healthier lives and to prepare health and care systems for an ageing population, according to WHO/Europe. The second is the region’s first ‘Roadmap for action on artificial intelligence in health’, covering 2026 to 2033, which sets out a shared approach to using AI safely, WHO/Europe said.
Why it matters
By 2050, an estimated 27% of the region’s population will be over 65, WHO/Europe said. But longer lives are not always healthier ones. Women in the region live longer than men but spend a smaller share of their lives in good health: 81.3%, compared with 83.5% for men. A summary of the strategy in the European Journal of Public Health notes a gap of around five years between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy at age 60.
The ageing strategy focuses on four areas: preventing ill health and maintaining people’s abilities throughout life; transforming health and long-term care; creating age-friendly environments; and challenging ageism, WHO/Europe said. In practice, that means spotting changing health needs earlier, linking primary care with rehabilitation and social support, supporting carers, and making sure age alone does not decide whether someone receives care. It was shaped by almost two years of consultation involving more than 3,000 people, including older people themselves. ‘Their voices are reflected in what countries have adopted today,’ said Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, WHO/Europe’s Director of Health Systems, according to WHO/Europe.
The shift is already visible. In 2024, people aged 65 and over outnumbered those under 15 in the region, and by 2050 more than 30% of people will be over 60, according to the European Journal of Public Health summary. Its authors argue that health systems are still organised around single diseases, which limits their ability to deal with people living with several conditions, declining physical function and long-term care needs.
Living longer is something to celebrate, but what matters is not simply adding years to life.
Dr Corinne Capuano, Officer-in-Charge for WHO/Europe
The wider picture
The AI roadmap recognises that AI can help detect disease earlier, alert health workers when a patient’s condition worsens and reduce paperwork. ‘But these opportunities come with important responsibilities,’ Dr Capuano said, according to WHO/Europe. The roadmap has four priority areas: governance and leadership; ethical, regulatory and legal frameworks; data and digital infrastructure; and capacity-building and learning. It is designed to align with existing rules, including the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, the European Health Data Space and the General Data Protection Regulation, and comes with an implementation guide for countries at different levels of digital maturity.
It drew on WHO/Europe’s first region-wide assessment of AI readiness for health, with responses from 50 of the 53 Member States. Countries also backed a new WHO office on AI to help them put the roadmap into practice, WHO/Europe said. The medical news site EMJ described it as the first coordinated regional approach to AI in health care across Europe and Central Asia. ‘The future of health care remains firmly grounded in human connection, but AI can now be a powerful ally for both patients and health professionals,’ Dr Azzopardi-Muscat said.
Could it work elsewhere?
In GGND’s view, the strongest idea here is measuring healthy ageing by what people can still do, not only by disease and death rates. WHO/Europe is building Healthy Ageing Intelligence Profiles for all 53 countries and a regional dashboard that tracks functional ability and inequalities, it said. Other WHO regions facing rapid ageing, such as the Western Pacific, could adopt similar measures. A shared AI rulebook could also save smaller countries from having to design their own from scratch.
What remains unresolved
- Not binding. Regional strategies and roadmaps guide countries but do not oblige them to act, and the plans set no dedicated budget.
- Uneven starting points. Countries range from highly digital health systems to those still building basic data infrastructure, so progress on AI is likely to be uneven.
- Trust and safety. WHO/Europe itself asks how to ensure AI is safe, effective and equitable, and how to protect people’s rights. Those questions are not answered by a roadmap alone.
- Care workforce. Delivering more care closer to home and real support for carers will depend on staff and funding that many systems already lack.
What happens next
WHO/Europe says implementation starts now. Countries can use its country profiles and dashboard to plan and track work on healthy ageing, and a midterm report in 2029 will show whether the AI roadmap is delivering, it said. The organisation has also begun work on a strategy and action plan for noncommunicable diseases and health promotion for 2028 to 2037.
Sources
- WHO Regional Office for Europe Member States of the WHO European Region adopt new plans on healthy ageing and AI in health (30 October 2026)
- WHO Regional Office for Europe Fifty-three countries adopt new WHO European strategy for healthier longer lives (29 October 2026)
- WHO Regional Office for Europe Governments across Europe and Central Asia unanimously adopt new vision for AI in health care (29 October 2026)
- EMJ Europe Adopts New AI Healthcare Roadmap (30 October 2026)
- European Journal of Public Health WHO/Europe Ageing is Living 2026-2030 Strategy: A system-level framework for healthy ageing (26 October 2026)
Analysis and context are by The GGND Team. Where we draw our own conclusions, we say so. To report an error, contact us.
