490 experts call for €10 billion ring-fenced health allocation in EU budget
As negotiations intensify over the European Union’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), concerns are growing that health is being overlooked
More than 490 healthcare experts, researchers, academics and patient advocates from across a range of disease areas are warning that healthcare is slipping down the political agenda.
The experts are concerned that the next long-term EU budget contains no standalone provision for health, arguing that without dedicated funding, the ambition of a European Health Union cannot be realised.
In a joint letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council António Costa and EU member state governments, the coalition calls for health to be established as a clear strategic priority, underpinned by a dedicated and ring-fenced EU budget.
“A framework without dedicated financing is not policy. It is aspiration without delivery.
It is why the European Parliament has responded with overwhelming consensus, calling for €10.05 billion to be allocated for health within the EU’s next long-term budget 2028-34,” states the letter.
“A European Health Union cannot exist without meaningful and protected investment in health. The next EU budget must reflect the political commitment to place citizens’ health at the heart of Europe’s future,” said Marzia Zambon, Executive Director of Europa Donna, one of the letter’s signatories.
Health as an investment
“Health is not a cost to be managed, but an investment in Europe’s resilience, productivity, and social cohesion,” said Konstantinos Makrilakis, President of the Hellenic Diabetes Association.
As negotiations on the next long-term EU budget intensify, the signatories argue that Europe faces a clear choice: invest strategically in prevention, healthcare systems and citizens’ wellbeing now, or bear the social and economic consequences of underinvestment later.
The intervention comes at a pivotal moment. In March, the European Parliament adopted its position on the next MFF, strongly backing a dedicated €10 billion health allocation.
Attention is now turning to member states, which will shape the Council’s position in the negotiations. While some governments have already expressed support for stronger health investment, the signatories acknowledge that broader political mobilisation will be needed in the months ahead.
Catherine Feore