EU4Health is the EU’s largest health programme in monetary terms, with a budget of €5.3 billion in current prices. The EU4Health programme goes beyond an ambitious response to the COVID-19 crisis to address the resilience of European healthcare systems. EU4Health provides funding to national authorities, health organisations and other bodies through grants and public procurement, contributing to a healthier Europe.
The EU4Health programme is a key pillar to the Commission’s work to strengthen the European Health Union and contribute to the EU's health priorities. The actions funded under the EU4Health programme pursue the following 4 goals and 10 specific objectives:
- To improve and foster health in the Union
- disease prevention & health promotion
- international health initiatives & cooperation
- To tackle cross-border health threats
- prevention, preparedness & response to cross-border health threats
- complementing national stockpiling of essential crisis-relevant products
- establishing a reserve of medical, healthcare & support staff
- To improve medicinal products, medical devices and crisis-relevant products
- making medicinal products, medical devices and crisis-relevant products available and affordable
- To strengthen health systems, their resilience and resource efficiency
- strengthening health data, digital tools & services, digital transformation of healthcare
- improving access to healthcare
- developing and implementing EU health legislation and evidence-based decision making
- integrated work among national health systems
EU4Health will also be investing in urgent health priorities:
- response to COVID-19 pandemic, and resilience for cross-border health threats
- Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan
- The Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe
and other areas:
- the digitalisation of health systems
- antimicrobial resistance
- improved vaccination rates