On the 7-8 of November in Poznan, Poland, the Polish Presidency of the EU organised a conference entitled 'Solidarity in Health. Closing the health gap between European Union States'. The aim of the conference was to highlight the importance of solidarity in the healthcare field for European Member States, and to set out measures to decrease the inequalities that already exist between them. Differences in standards of care and treatment - for example between eastern and western Member States - are not only at odds with the values of the EU, but they take a significant financial toll which in turn serves to deepen the divide. Closing this unequal 'health gap' is one of the two main priorities of the Polish Presidency. The conference was attended by representatives of Health Ministries of EU Member States, European Commission representatives, representatives of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Breda Flood, EFA President, attended the event, which included a session on 'prevention and control of childhood asthma and allergy in EU from the public health point of view'.