Dear Friends of ELIANT,

Our conference ‘Healthy Innovations for Europe’ took place in Brussels on 20 May 2025 in beautiful spring weather. Despite a public transport strike on that day, 115 people from Belgium, Holland, France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy were present, and together with over 1,000 people who registered to participate online, we were able to experience inspiring examples of human dignity in practice and the much-needed European culture of peace. Here you can view the complete programme with all participants once more. The musical opening with three cellos and the brilliant concert by the Brussels Conservatory Orchestra at the end used music to beautifully illustrate what social development is all about: the harmony of different individual skills.

Is Egypt showing Europe the way?
Helmy Abouleish reported on the development of the Sekem Initiative, which, since its beginnings in 1977, has demonstrated that existing desert areas can be transformed back into productive agricultural landscapes with the help of biodynamic farming methods and soil cultivation. Thanks to the Economy of Love in Sekem, 26,000 farms have already been certified and integrated into the project, and by the end of the year this figure will rise to an impressive 40,000. The inspiring goal is to further develop Egypt’s agriculture in this direction in the not too distant future – for sustainably healthy soils and food for humans and animals. But how can small eco-friendly businesses survive economically? By rewarding their efforts for ecology and climate protection in the form of CO2 certificates! This makes the effort involved in composting and applying biodynamic preparations to care for the soil and support plant growth worthwhile. And the income generated enables farming families to live a simple, dignified life and educate their children.

Responsibility instead of overregulation
The entrepreneur Armin Steuernagel used telling examples to illustrate the paralysing effect that the tendency towards control and regulation has on European economic life – especially when European countries also impose different requirements on each other. The resulting excessive costs for product safety and innovation can ultimately only be borne by large companies, with the consequence that small and medium-sized enterprises will continue to disappear from the market, taking with them not only their innovation potential but also the opportunity to develop competent responsibility as a core element of human dignity. Just as every living organism needs innovation and renewal, so does the economy. If they are missing, the system becomes obsolete and loses its achievement potential. Steiner’s concept of social threefolding encourages research into and further development of the intellectual, legal and economic conditions necessary for an economic life that is both productive and respects human dignity.

Developmentally appropriate media education: successfully building bridges
Following the hasty introduction of digital education down as far as kindergarten and primary school, which was not based on any scientific evidence, the experiences gained since then and the results of recent studies indicate that a welcome rethink is now underway. Autonomy, creativity and social skills need analogue space to develop! Representatives of the European Steiner/Waldorf education umbrella organisation ECSWE presented the Hermmes project on age-appropriate media education, developed in collaboration with partners, and demonstrated what constructive healthy development can look like in the digital age. Thanks to this expertise, they have meanwhile become sought-after interlocutors in Brussels and various other countries. Particularly pleasing: the Hermmes project is co-financed by the EU and is an example of successful bridge-building between the efforts of Waldorf/Steiner education and the responsible authorities.

The medical system of the future needs empowered patients!
The task of medical, nursing and therapeutic professionals is to empower patients and clients to actively participate in their recovery with apprehension by providing clarity about their situation. Steiner introduced the notion of the democratisation of healthcare with this in mind: i.e. personal responsibility in a healthy balance with trust in authority and science. At the heart of a system of medicine that integrates the physical, mental and spiritual needs of human beings is therefore a fundamental attitude of care, a fraternally supportive approach throughout illness and crises. Anthroposophic medicine and nursing includes not only proven conventional medical procedures, but also a wide range of external applications from the field of nursing, process-oriented medicinal preparations in anthroposophic pharmacy, artistic therapies, biography work and pastoral medicine.

Closing remarks by Michael Bloss from the Group of the Greens in the European Parliament
In his closing remarks, Bloss praised ELIANT’s commitment to a culturally progressive Europe and encouraged the organisation to represent and continue to develop the initiatives of applied anthroposophy with greater assertiveness.

Our thanks go to everyone who helped us to make Rudolf Steiner’s inspirations for Europe’s future visible in Brussels, 100 years after his death. Now we hope that, with your help, we will be able to close the considerable funding gap that has arisen due to the costs of the venue, catering, high-quality technology and simultaneous translation into four languages, as well as the artistic accompanying programme. Every contribution helps, no matter how small! Thank you very much for this special support!

Warm regards on behalf of the ELIANT team
Yours Michaela Glöckler