In Europe, as elsewhere, concerns for public health are increasingly moving to the center of attention of decision makers and the general public: Be it the high burden of disease caused by the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity and its cost implications or the recurring threat of infectious diseases. Such risks to population health call for an appropriate policy response. Good intentions, however, are not enough if we want to address public health concerns. Numerous examples exist where time and resources were used on measures that did not lead to significant improvements in population health or even had unintended harmful effects. Relevant, appropriate, high-quality, and timely public health evidence is thus needed to enable decision makers to make evidence-informed public health decisions. Yet, the academic foundation of evidence-based public health, whether in relation to primary research or systematic reviews, remains weak in many European countries. Even where the evidence is available it is rarely taken up in policy and practice. Moreover, many public health challenges, such as the refugee crisis, are sudden and international in nature. Therefore identifying, synthesizing, and appraising the evidence from an international perspective saves time and resources, and may even catalyze a joint research and/or policy response.