EUROPEAN HEALTHCARE AT RISK: EU4HEALTH FUND COULD DISAPPEAR FROM NEXT BUDGET

BRUSSELS • Emerging priorities like defense and competitiveness are diverting resources, raising fears that health – a key objective of the previous EU mandate – might bear the brunt in the EU's next long-term budget. Parliamentarians and the health sector call for a change of course: "Health is an investment, not a cost."

Brussels – In the upcoming EU budget, health and innovation could lose ground to sectors like defense and competitiveness. There is growing concern that health – a primary focus of the previous EU mandate – may pay the highest price in the EU's next long-term budget.

The European Commission is expected to present its proposal for the next seven-year budget in July. However, early leaks and increasing speculation suggest that the dedicated health fund, Eu4Health, could be merged with broader funding instruments, or potentially eliminated entirely.

While health policy is primarily the responsibility of national governments, EU member states allocated €5.3 billion for health through the Eu4Health program in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This marked the first time a standalone health budget was created at the European level. Previously, EU health initiatives operated with much more limited resources: the health program for 2014-2020 had a total budget of only €450 million, significantly less than Eu4Health.

Since its launch, EU4Health has funded a range of crucial initiatives, such as a recent €1.3 million project to address the shortage of nurses in Europe by promoting the profession in affected countries. However, many fear the program will not survive the next programming cycle, with some EU officials already hinting that Eu4Health might be a one-off measure.

A Political Battle for Health Funding

Lawmakers have raised the alarm about Eu4Health's potential disappearance and its impact on flagship initiatives from the previous mandate, such as the Europe's Beating Cancer Plan.

Croatian MEP Tomislav Sokol emphasized the importance of maintaining a dedicated health budget, given that health has become one of the most important issues in the EU after the pandemic. "If we are not able to protect it, I'm afraid that all of this will be diluted and absorbed by other big funds in the budget, and we will lose the focus on healthcare that we have now," he told Euronews, adding that EU support is essential to create a level playing field among member states. Sokol also cited more recent priorities, such as the Critical Medicines Act, arguing that they too will require significant EU funding.

Industry Voices Join the Call

Concerns about future health investments partly stem from recent budget reallocations. In February 2024, approximately €1 billion was reallocated from Eu4Health to help fund an aid package for Ukraine.

These looming cuts are causing anxiety within the healthcare sector. The PHSSR – a coalition of academics, policymakers, and politicians focused on sustainable health systems – highlighted the need for continued investment in a recent report ahead of the Commission's proposal.

In an interview with Euronews, AstraZeneca Senior Vice President Greg Rossi, a participant in the PHSSR, warned that Europe risks falling behind in life sciences. "We're seeing enormous innovation and opportunity for improving health outcomes. My field, cancer, has seen extraordinary progress over the last 10, 15 years. But Europe is losing ground," he stated, citing decreased funding for research and development and a shift of clinical trials increasingly outside Europe.

Rossi concluded that without specific health investment initiatives, such as dedicated EU health funding, access to innovation will worsen, health outcomes will deteriorate, and Europe's competitive edge will erode. "Health is an investment to be made, not a cost to be managed. And if we do that, we will improve the health and wealth of our countries," he declared.

What Happens Next?

The European Commission is preparing a comprehensive review of its long-term budget, also known as the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). The goal is to make it simpler, more effective, and better aligned with evolving political priorities.

Currently, the MFF amounts to approximately €1.2 trillion, about 1% of the EU's GDP. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is considering a major restructuring of the MFF for the 2028-2034 period, possibly abandoning the current system of over 50 EU-level programs. Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin has previously indicated that the next budget proposal will focus on "fewer, more targeted programs" and a more strategic and ambitious framework.

The European Commission's proposal, expected in mid-July, will offer the first concrete indication of what lies ahead for EU health funding.