EU4Health Programme

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic which has become a severe public health emergency with implications for citizens, societies, and economics, the European Commission released the ambitious proposal for a health programme for the 2019-2027 period.

COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need to significantly strengthen the EU's capacity to respond effectively to major cross-border health threats.

The European Commission mentions on its website the particular needs of the EU:

  • More coordination between Member States during a health crisis;
  • More capacity at EU level to prepare for and to fight health crises; and
  • More investment in health systems to make sure they are ready for the challenges of tomorrow.1

Three main objectives of the EU4Health Programme 

  1. Protecting people in the EU from serious cross-border health threats and improving crisis management capacity;
  2. Making medicines, medical devices and other crisis relevant products, available and affordable and supporting innovation;
  3. Strengthen health systems and the health care workforce, including by investing in public health, for instance through health promotion and disease prevention programmes and improving access to healthcare.1

Draft report on the EU4Health programme

Cristian-Silviu Buşoi, as the Rapporteur of the Parliament on the Health4Europe Programme, invited NGOs, policymakers, CSOs for a webinar discussion on the future of the EU4Health Programme, the stand-alone programme in the field of health proposed by the Commission at the end of May.

In response to Cristian-Silviu Buşoi’s invitation, EUROCAM proposed amendments as set out in the EUROCAM amendments document to EU4Health Programme.

DRAFT REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of a Programme for the Union's action in the field of health –for the period 2021-2027 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 282/2014 (“EU4Health Programme”) (COM(2020)0405 – C9-0152/2020 – 2020/0102(COD)

The shadow rapporteurs are: CERDAS (S&D), TRILLET-LENOIR (RENEW), REGIMENTI (ID), RIVASI (Greens/EFA),KOPCIŃSKA (ECR), KONEČNÁ (GUE/NGL),

EUROCAM key points on the EU4Health programme

  • The focus of healthcare should move away from primarily a treatment-oriented agenda to one which engages people more directly in their personal health and well-being thereby preventing illness and prolonging life.
  • The ever increasing health care expenditure, the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and failure of effectively managing them, the huge burden of adverse side effects and mortality due to the toxicity of prescription drugs, and the growing resistance to antibiotics can only be remedied by shifting our focus from our attempts to defeat disease to the promotion of health and prevention.
  • Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine has a substantial role to play when it comes to restoring the patients’ own natural systems for fighting disease and maintaining health with the aid of natural medicines, modification of lifestyle, dietary change and health psychology approaches.
  • Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine can substantially contribute to tackling current EU health issues, such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the growing incidence and prevalence of NCDs and the burden of medication-related morbidity and mortality.

Resource

1] Website European Commission, EU4Health Programme.