More than 490 healthcare experts, researchers, academics, and patient advocates from across Europe have signed a joint letter calling on EU leaders and national governments to make health a strategic priority in the European Union’s next long-term budget.
The letter comes at a key moment in the negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), as the EU focuses on competitiveness, resilience, and economic security. The signatories stress that these ambitions cannot be achieved without strong investment in health, prevention, and healthcare systems. According to the World Health Organization, avoidable deaths linked to non-communicable diseases result in an estimated €442 billion in lost productivity every year across Europe.
The joint call urges EU institutions and Member States to support a dedicated and protected EU health budget that reflects the needs of citizens and strengthens Europe’s long-term resilience. The European Parliament has already adopted a position supporting dedicated health investment, while discussions among Member States are ongoing.
BioMed Alliance is proud to be among the signatories supporting this important initiative to place health at the centre of Europe’s future. This builds on our recent position on the future EU research framework, where we supported MEP Christian Ehler’s draft ITRE report on the next Horizon Europe (FP10) regulation and called for an ambitious, well-structured EU research budget.
‘Investment in health is undeniably fundamental to Europe’s resilience, prosperity, and global competitiveness. As the EU prepares the next MFF, policymakers must safeguard a strong, ring-fenced health budget to drive biomedical research, strengthen preparedness against future health threats, and improve patient outcomes across Europe’, said Tom Hemming Karlsen, BioMed Alliance President
