EU 4 Health Program at Risk 

EU 4 Health Program at Risk 

On 20 June, Spain, Belgium and Slovenia raised concerns at the Council of the EU related to the EU 4 Health program, a funding program to build stronger, more resilient and more accessible health systems launched as a response to COVID-19. These were related to the lack of a work program for these funds for the year 2025 and the impact it could have on funding of civil society organisations. 

The EU4Health programme was adopted as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to reinforce crisis preparedness in the EU. With an initial €5.3 billion budget for the 2021-27 period, reduced to €4.4 billion following the revision of the 2021-2027 EU budget, the EU4Health programme is an essential EU financial support in the health area. Its objectives include:

• Improve and foster health
  • Health promotion and disease prevention, in particular cancer
  • International health initiatives and cooperation
• Protect people
  • Prevention, preparedness and response to cross-border health threats
  • Complementing national stockpiling of essential crisis-relevant products
  • Establishing a reserve of medical, healthcare and support staff
• Access to medicinal products, medical devices and crisis-relevant products
  • Ensuring that these products are accessible, available and affordable
• Strengthen health systems
  • Reinforcing health data, digital tools and services, digital transformation of healthcare
  • Enhancing access to healthcare
  • Developing and implementing EU health legislation and evidence-based decision making
  • Integrated work among national health systems

EU4Health is implemented by annual Work Programmes, through which eligible entities, health organisations and NGOs from EU countries, or non-EU countries associated with the programme receive funding. However, since no Work Programme has been submitted yet for 2025, organisations funded by this program and EU countries have raised their voice expressing concerns.

More information on EU4Health available here.

Recording on Policy Debate of the Health formation of the Council of the EU on EU measures on prevention, including reduction of tobacco and alcohol consumption (where this discussion took place) available here.