WIREDGOV

New EU programme EU4Health aims to strengthen Europe’s health systems to respond better to future major cross-border crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Covid-19 outbreak has shown the need for EU countries to better cooperate and coordinate in times of crisis and to strengthen the EU’s capacity to respond effectively to new cross-border health threats.

Drawing on the lessons learnt, a new EU health programme named EU4Health aims to fill the gaps revealed by the pandemic. Member states are primarily competent for health policy, but the EU can complement and support national measures and adopt legislation in specific sectors.

Find out more about EU health policy.

Besides better protection against and management of crises by strengthening member states’ health systems and delivering better care, the EU4Health programme also aims to improve health and foster innovation and investment.

The three main priorities of EU4Health:

• Protection of people from serious cross-border health threats
• Improved availability of medicines
• Stronger health systems

EU4Health is part of the Next Generation EU recovery plan presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 27 May in plenary. In a resolution on the post-2020 EU budget revision and economic recovery plan, adopted on 15 May, MEPs had insisted on the creation of a new stand-alone European health programme.

In a debate with Commissioner Stella Kyriakides on 28 May, the environment and public health committee welcomed the ambitious plans, as Parliament has consistently promoted the establishment of a coherent EU public health policy. In a resolution adopted on 17 April, Parliament called for a dedicated budget to support national healthcare sectors during the crisis, as well as for investment post-crisis to make health-care systems more resilient and focused on those most in need.

Click here for the full press release