Health and the life sciences sector must be a strategic pillar of the next EU long-term budget

For Europe to remain relevant and competitive in a turbulent world, it needs to invest in the wellbeing of its citizens. Making health and the life sciences sector a central pillar of the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF), starting in 2028, would send a strong signal.

Prioritising health in the next MFF: why it matters

As the challenges facing Europe grow, we cannot forget that health is not only wealth, but also the foundation of a strong, secure European Union.

Healthy populations drive strong economies, foster resilient societies and can ensure the security of their countries in times of crisis. With a strategic focus on health in the MFF, Europe can bolster its capacity to respond to future (health) threats and ensure the long-term health security of its citizens.

Investments in the health sector deliver the greatest financial value to Europe’s productivity and competitiveness, compared with investments in any other sector.[1] For example, the evaluation of Horizon 2020 demonstrated that every euro invested in the EU RD&I programme yielded significant benefits, contributing to GDP growth and societal gains.[2]

As a broad EU Health Coalition whose membership spans all 27 EU Member States and all areas of the health and life sciences sector, we know first-hand the price that economies and societies pay when health is deprioritised. We are proposing 9 recommendations which, if taken forward in the next MFF, can help Europe strengthen the health of its populations, workforce and economies; improve its fiscal sustainability; and regain its competitiveness in a strategic and high-value sector.

9 recommendations for strengthening health through the MFF

1. Secure a Ring-Fenced Budget for RD&I: Protect the research, development and innovation (RD&I) budget within the MFF. This would ensure that researchers, innovators and healthcare stakeholders can operate within a stable and predictable framework.
2. Earmark Funds for Life Sciences: Channel investments through earmarked funds in the MFF to promote sustainable life science ecosystems and clusters at scale, strengthening human and intellectual capital across the EU and tackling the challenges in line with the “One Health” paradigm. 
3. Enable Instruments for Impact: Enhance funding instruments to facilitate the translation of scientific ideas into products and services that effectively reach the patient; deploy and scale up innovation in clinical, research and regulatory practice. Develop new funding tools for flexible contracting for medical countermeasures, to place the EU at the forefront of preparedness and response activities.
4. Accelerate clinical trials in Europe: Invest in infrastructure – hospitals, networks, data and biobanks – and ensure their integration into Member States' health systems. Support multi-country clinical trials through the exchange of good practices and convergence of approvals and ethical reviews. Facilitate cross-border access to trials, building on work by the EU Cross-Border Clinical Trials Initiative.
5. Resource Regulators and Enablers of RD&I: Strengthen the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and national regulators with the resources required to keep pace with scientific advancements and new types of products, ensuring a modern regulatory framework.
6. Facilitate Collaboration and Digital Transformation in Health Innovation: Encourage the integration of digital health solutions and Artificial Intelligence (AI) into research and care processes, fostering a collaborative healthcare ecosystem and harnessing the value of data for better health care and outcomes.
7. Incentivise Health Systems Transformation: Dedicate resources, including in any continuation of the Cohesion and European Regional Development Funds, to enhance the capacity of health systems to respond to the increased demand for care, effectively prepare for future epidemics, pandemics and crises, and increase its uptake of lifesaving and life-prolonging innovation. Foster cross-border collaboration and knowledge exchange to build resilient, efficient and sustainable health systems along the continuum of prevention, treatment and cure, and measure systems’ performance to improve health outcomes. Ensure robust funding for the EU4Health Programme.
8. Invest in Public and Patient Engagement: Ensure a sustainable, accessible, predictable, and transparent funding scheme, such as Operating Grants under the EU4Health programme, for more equitable and patient-centred healthcare systems. This would allow patient associations and other civil society organisations to bring the voices of patients to health policy discussions.
9. Prepare the future European Health Workforce: Invest in training, education and retention programmes to build a resilient and skilled health workforce capable of addressing future health challenges. Ensure adequate support and resources for healthcare professionals to maintain high standards of care across Europe.

References:

[1] https://www.cer.eu/insights/investing-public-health-no-brainer#:~:text=The%20EU%20should%20prioritise%20public,during%20the%20Covid%2D19%20pandemic.
[2] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_461