A policy dialogue at the European Parliament on 15 October brought together European policymakers, national representatives and public health experts to discuss how the EU's next long-term budget can support health promotion, disease prevention and health equity.
Organised by JA PreventNCD and EuroHealthNet, and hosted by European Parliament Vice-President Victor Negrescu, the event Investing in Health focused on ensuring that prevention remains a priority in the European Union's 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
The discussions came at an important moment in negotiations over the next long-term EU budget. The current EU4Health programme reserves at least 20% of its budget for health promotion and disease prevention. Under the European Commission's proposal, it would no longer exist as a standalone funding instrument. Instead, health activities would be supported through broader funding mechanisms, including the European Competitiveness Fund, the Civil Protection programme and National and Regional Partnership Plans.
While this approach may create opportunities for greater flexibility and cooperation across policy areas, it also raises concerns about the visibility of health promotion and disease prevention, particularly without dedicated funding.
European Parliament Vice-President Victor Negrescu speaks at the event. Photo: EuroHealthNet
Making the case for sustained investment in prevention
Opening the event, European Parliament Vice-President Victor Negrescu stressed the importance of building on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, when European cooperation demonstrated the value of collective action on health. Expressing disappointment that health was not receiving sufficient attention in the proposed EU budget, he called for maintaining dedicated investment in health. He argued that investing today can help prevent greater health and economic costs in the future, while emphasising the importance of strengthening the European Health Union and ensuring Member States can support health measures through their national plans.
Caroline Costongs, Director of EuroHealthNet, highlighted the risks of losing dedicated funding for health and the uncertainty surrounding future spending decisions.
"Without a dedicated health programme or minimum health thresholds, health risks losing out to other cost-intensive, competing priorities," she said.
She also questioned whose voices will be heard when annual spending priorities are determined, particularly within the European Competitiveness Fund. Against this backdrop, she emphasised the importance of preparing strong investment cases for health promotion and prevention. This will be needed both at national level for funding through the National and Regional Partnership Plans and at EU level through future work programmes for the European Competitiveness Fund and Horizon Europe.
Prof. Knut-Inge Klepp, Scientific Coordinator of JA PreventNCD, emphasised the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and cancer, and the considerable potential to prevent illness through effective policies and healthier living environments.
He highlighted how JA PreventNCD brings together countries and institutions to strengthen prevention, reduce inequalities and support coordinated action across Europe. Sustained investment in these efforts can improve people's lives while reducing long-term pressures on health systems and economies.
Turning policy priorities into investment
The dialogue built on JA PreventNCD's position paper on the next MFF, developed with contributions from EuroHealthNet and published in June. It calls for health promotion, non-communicable disease prevention and health equity to be visible, adequately funded and measurable throughout the next EU budget.
Presenting the recommendations, Dr. Mojca Gabrijelčič Blenkuš, who leads JA PreventNCD's sustainability work, emphasised the connection between population health and Europe's future prosperity.
Several recommendations from the position paper, particularly those concerning how EU investments should be monitored and assessed, have already been reflected in the Council's partial negotiating position on the MFF Performance Regulation. This represents encouraging progress towards making health promotion, disease prevention and health equity more visible in future EU investment decisions, although the final framework remains subject to negotiation.
She also drew attention to a 2025 study published in JAMA showing dramatic evidence of worsening child health across multiple indicators in the United States over a 17-year period. The findings offered a reminder of the importance of protecting population health today to avoid greater health and economic challenges for future generations.
"We cannot build a competitive and resilient Europe without investing in people's health. Prevention needs to be reflected in how European funding is allocated and how results are measured, with particular attention to those facing the greatest health inequalities," she said.
Making prevention count in the next long-term EU budget
Two panel discussions examined how prevention could be better reflected in the proposed funding framework.
The first focused on National and Regional Partnership Plans, through which Member States will help determine investment priorities. Vania Putatti from EuroHealthNet introduced the discussion, outlining the proposed arrangements and the role of the European Semester. While the proposed plans include spending targets of 43% for climate and environmental objectives and 14% for social objectives, no equivalent target is set for health.
Panellists Hanna Tolonen from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Dorota Tomalak from the European Committee of the Regions, and Ruth Paserman from the European Commission's DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion discussed how health could be reflected in national investment priorities. Their contributions highlighted the importance of cross-sectoral cooperation, regional and local involvement, continued learning between countries, and connecting health priorities with national reforms and investment.
The second panel examined the European Competitiveness Fund and Horizon Europe, with Rebecca-Evelyn Papp from EuroHealthNet setting the scene on the opportunities and challenges for prevention within these broader funding programmes. Panellists Anna Kubina from Belgium's Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, Franck Conrad from the European Commission's DG Budget, and Cristina Modoran from DG Health and Food Safety explored the balance between funding flexibility and the need for clear objectives, safeguards and governance, alongside the importance of stakeholder engagement and strong investment cases for health.
Across both panels, a recurring theme was the need to ensure that prevention remains visible in future investment decisions. In its position paper published in June, JA PreventNCD called for dedicated funding for health promotion and NCD prevention, a stronger prevention focus in National and Regional Partnership Plans, and performance indicators that capture health equity and longer-term population health outcomes. The discussions also highlighted the importance of involving public health expertise and regional and local perspectives in funding decisions, alongside maintaining the cooperation and implementation capacity needed to translate evidence into effective policies.
For a closer look at the proposed funding arrangements, the perspectives shared by panellists and four priorities for the next EU budget, read our accompanying article, What the next EU budget could mean for prevention and health equity.
Protecting prevention for the long term
The discussions reinforced a central message of a recent scientific editorial: Europe's ability to prevent disease depends not only on funding, but also on maintaining the expertise, cooperation and infrastructure needed to put effective policies into practice.
The World Health Organization has already identified proven, cost-effective interventions through its best buys and quick buys, including measures that can deliver measurable improvements within a single political cycle. However, achieving lasting improvements in population health also requires financial resources and sustained investment over many years.
Reflecting on the event, Knut-Inge Klepp welcomed the opportunity to engage directly with European policymakers while emphasising the importance of protecting prevention in future budget decisions.
"We are grateful for the opportunity to bring this discussion to the European Parliament. We know that prevention works, and we have effective, cost-efficient solutions. But many of its benefits take time to materialise. Without clear safeguards, there is a risk that prevention will lose out to investments promising more immediate returns. We need to ensure that Europe's long-term health is not overlooked when short-term budget priorities are decided," he said.
As negotiations on the 2028–2034 MFF continue, JA PreventNCD, EuroHealthNet, and their partners will continue advocating for a stronger place for health promotion, disease prevention and health equity in Europe's future investment priorities.
Investing in prevention today is essential to securing a healthier, more resilient and prosperous Europe tomorrow.
