In her first report as WHO Regional Director for Europe, Zsuzsanna Jakab describes what has been achieved in 2010-2011 by combining the forces of the WHO Regional Office for Europe and its 53 Member States, to address the gaps in health and health-system development within and between countries, epidemiological changes such as the epidemic of noncommunicable diseases in Europe, and the challenges of the financial crisis, and to take the opportunities offered by the value given to health as a driver of growth, the strength of the scientific knowledge base and developments in information technology.