Recommendations from JA PreventNCD’s recent position paper on the next EU budget have been reflected in the Council position on the MFF Performance Regulation Framework, marking an encouraging step for health promotion and non-communicable disease prevention in Europe.
The position paper, Investing in Health: Securing EU funding for health promotion and NCD prevention in the next Multiannual Financial Framework, calls on European Union institutions and Member States to ensure that the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework provides clear and adequate funding for health promotion, non-communicable disease prevention and health equity. It also highlights the need for performance indicators that measure prevention, equity and long-term population health outcomes.
Several suggestions from the JA PreventNCD position paper were included in the Council position either word-for-word or through closely aligned wording, particularly in relation to how EU investments should be assessed and monitored.
“This is a very encouraging step,” says Caroline Costongs, Director of EuroHealthNet. “It shows the value of a strong, coordinated public health voice in EU policy discussions. Health promotion, disease prevention, health equity and long-term population health outcomes must be part of how Europe defines and measures successful investment.”
This shows how coordinated, evidence-based recommendations from public health authorities, researchers and prevention experts can contribute to EU policy discussions. It also reflects one of the central messages of the position paper: prevention must be visible, adequately funded and measurable in the next EU budget.
For Dr. Mojca Gabrijelčič, Senior Adviser at the National Institute of Public Health in Slovenia and leader of the sustainability work in JA PreventNCD, the inclusion of health promotion, disease prevention and equity in the performance framework is particularly important.
“What gets measured often shapes what gets prioritized,” she says. “If we want prevention and health promotion to be sustainable, we need funding frameworks that support implementation capacity, cooperation across sectors and long-term public health impact.”
The JA PreventNCD position paper argues that performance indicators should go beyond expenditure tracking and capture whether EU investments contribute to health promotion, disease prevention, reduced inequalities and improved health outcomes. It specifically calls for indicators that address key NCD risk factors, wider social and environmental determinants of health, and explicit equity measures.
Prof. Knut-Inge Klepp, Scientific Coordinator of JA PreventNCD, says the development demonstrates the importance of speaking with a united voice.
“Non-communicable diseases remain one of the greatest challenges to health, wellbeing and prosperity in Europe,” he says. “This shows that evidence-based prevention can help shape policy when partners work together around a clear and shared message. The next step is to continue making the case for sustained investment in health promotion and disease prevention throughout the MFF process.”
While negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework are still ongoing, and the European Parliament’s position is still awaited, this development is an encouraging step towards ensuring that future EU investments better support health promotion, disease prevention and health equity. The JA PreventNCD Consortium will closely follow the developments - the 95 million Euros investment in improvement of health determinants and NCDs should translate in strong public health actions during the next MFF period, to ensure healthy future generations of Europeans, the prerequisite for successful and prosperous economy of EU.
