ABSTRACT
In the 52 countries that comprise the WHO European Region, values are present in the preamble of almost every national health policy. However, they are not so visible in the core texts of these policies, in the parts that describe actions, resources, im plem entation and evaluation. Some sort of chasm seems to exist. On one side there are values, seen as inspirational, taken-for-granted, self-explana tory general statements. On the o ther side there is the reality of policy making in public health. The headline preambles and the detailed texts do not always link. It is easy to use values as a m antra rather than as an agenda.
