About the Event

The European Health Forum Gastein 2026 (EHFG26) runs as a hybrid conference from September 29 to October 2 in Bad Hofgastein, Austria, under the theme "Health for a stronger European Union - high time for action!" It is co-organised with Austria's Bundesministerium (the federal ministry responsible for health) and run in collaboration with WHO Europe and the European Commission.

Audience and Attendees

The EHFG describes itself as an independent, non-partisan platform founded in 1998, bringing together stakeholders and decision-makers from the public and private sector, civil society, and science and academia. Confirmed 2026 speakers include Korinna Schumann, Austria's Minister for Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection; Petter Iversen, Chair of the Committee of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services at NATO; Frank Vandenbroucke, Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health; Javier Padilla Bernáldez, Spain's Secretary of State for Health; and Pamela Rendi-Wagner, Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Programme Structure

The conference's own materials point to an About section, a Speaker Gallery and a Programme Overview, with sessions running across the four days in Gastein and online for hybrid participation.

Main Topics

The 2026 theme centres on building a stronger European Health Union, addressing how fragmented national responses, the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and demographic and technological change have exposed limits in solidarity and cross-border cooperation, and how health investment fits into the EU's next Multiannual Financial Framework.

Closing Session

The conference runs through its final day, October 2, 2026, in Bad Hofgastein.

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