Good morning, colleagues and friends.

As this year draws to a close, many of us are filled with wishes —
for peace, for equality, for trust, for real progress… and yes — sometimes, for presents.

It is a time for reflection — but also, a time for action.

Because if the past decades have taught us anything,
it is that wishes alone do not change the world.
Action does.

And this, the Global Commission for 21st Century Healthcare,
is action in motion.
A living effort to shape a fair, digitally enabled, and human‑centered health system for our century.

We meet at a time of worldwide uncertainty —
conflict, inequality, and a crisis of trust that runs deep through societies.

At the same time, digital technology is transforming healthcare before our eyes.
Artificial intelligence can accelerate discovery, improve prevention, and personalize treatment —
but it also challenges us to protect privacy, to fight bias, and to preserve equity.

So we must ask:
How do we ensure that technology serves humanity — not the other way around?
That question defines the future of global health.

In Europe, we are not standing still.
We are taking measurable steps toward that future.

The European Health Data Space — or EHDS —
is one of the most ambitious public health data initiatives anywhere in the world.

Its purpose is simple:
to allow data to move securely, meaningfully, and trustworthily across borders, to strengthen both personal care and the public good.
Supporting large-scale research and enabling innovation with real scalability.

Through EHDS, Europe shows that digital health transformation can respect individual rights and unlock collective intelligence.

It is powered by decades of collaboration —
Among governments, standards bodies, and communities such as the European Federation for Medical Informatics, which I’m honoured to represent today.

We have learned that interoperability is not just technical — it is ethical.
Because without shared meaning, there can be no real sharing.
And without trust, no digital system will endure.

I sometimes joke that interoperability is “the stuff in between” —
and yes, who cares about that?
But ethically speaking, it matters deeply.
Because it’s not about what we can do,
it’s about what we should do.

Alongside the EHDS, Europe’s new digital regulations —
the General Data Protection Regulation, the AI Act, and the Data Governance Act —
are creating a trustworthy environment where innovation and responsibility coexist.

It’s a practical demonstration that policy and progress can evolve together.
Protecting citizens’ rights does not limit innovation —
it enables it.

This is Europe’s contribution to the global dialogue:
a regulatory model rooted in transparency, solidarity,
and the conviction that people must remain at the center of every digital system.

Still, we must remember:
technology alone will not make healthcare fair or sustainable.

Data and algorithms are only tools —
it is our values that give them direction.

Every health data initiative must carry the DNA of accountability, equity, and inclusion.
Or as we say in the European context — ethics by design.

When ethics live within our frameworks,
digital infrastructure becomes something greater —
a moral infrastructure for healthcare in the 21st century.

As we approach a new year, it is natural to wish for better systems, better outcomes, and better collaboration.

But turning those wishes into reality requires will.
And that, in many ways, is what this Commission embodies —
collective will, global cooperation, and shared accountability.

It gathers leaders who refuse to accept that health or fairness should stop at national borders.

If we succeed, we will not only improve systems —
we will rebuild something far deeper: trust.

So, as we enter a new year,
let us move from aspiration to implementation.

Let us prove that data can be shared responsibly,
That data‑powered AI can act ethically,
and that digital health can remain profoundly human.

Our wish should not simply be for better healthcare but also more health.
Our mission must be to build the architecture that makes it possible —
one that is digital, fair, global and deeply humane.

Because architecture is more than connecting resources and services.
It is about building connections and relations—
Between people, systems, and the shared purpose that binds us together.

And because the future of health is not something we predict —
it is something we build… together.

Thank you.

 

Lars Lindsköld

President EFMI

Board member SFMI