EU4Health Civil Society Alliance unveils Health4Europe: A blueprint for Europe’s Health Programme in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)

Brussels, 30/06/2025 - The EU4Health Civil Society Alliance (EU4Health CSA), coordinated by the European Patients’ Forum and the European Public Health Alliance, launches Health4Europe, a forward-looking proposal for the next EU Health Programme, designed to strengthen the European Health Union and ensure that health remains a top political and financial priority in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

Building on the achievements of the current EU4Health Programme, Health4Europe sets out a comprehensive and strategic vision for how the EU can prepare for the health challenges of the next decade. The proposal builds on the Commission’s 2024–2029 Political Guidelines, the Commissioners’ Mission letters, and on key priorities of the CSA, including  crisis preparedness, access to healthcare, disease prevention, women’s health, digital transformation, and civic participation. Health4Europe outlines what should be in the forthcoming Commission MFF proposal, or indeed what should be added to it by the European Council and the Parliament should the proposal fall short.

While the current focus is on geopolitical issues, the Health4Europe proposal points out that continued investment in health is essential. Health is a critical area for the EU competitiveness. A healthy population is a prerequisite for the Union’s competitiveness, productivity, and long-term resilience. At a time when negotiations are underway to overhaul EU-funded programmes, the CSA also reiterates the need for a strong and coherent health programme under the next MFF.

Finally, this blueprint reinforces that civil society is an important stakeholder in offering a tangible, actionable vision and inviting its partners across EU institutions to engage in a collaborative design process for the next MFF.

More specifically, in this proposal, the CSA:

• Introduces a newer, broader geopolitical and competitiveness angle that was not explicit in the EU4Health Programme;
• Brings cross-sectoral prevention into implementation focus;
• Ensures the necessary instruments are available to meet the goals under the Roadmap for Women’s Rights;
• Puts environmental health threats and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) into the resilience pillar strengthening the One Health approach more explicitly;
• Moves beyond civil society organisations (CSOs) consultation to institutionalised participatory governance in health.

The EU4Health Civil Society Alliance urges the European Commission and EU Member States to embrace this blueprint as a foundation for a stronger, healthier, and more cohesive Europe.