Written by Dr. Benedetta Armocida, Coordinator of JACARDI; Prof. Knut-Inge Klepp, Scientific Coordinator of JA PreventNCD; and Dr. Hanna Tolonen of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, who plays an important role in both Joint Actions, this editorial explores why Europe must protect its public health prevention infrastructure in the next EU budget.
The editorial explains that EU4Health provides more than financial support. Its dedicated objectives, national focal points, funding arrangements and performance indicators create governance conditions that allow health promotion and disease prevention to be coordinated, implemented and monitored across countries. The proposed 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework could weaken this infrastructure by placing health within a much broader competitiveness framework without protected funding for prevention.
Drawing on JACARDI and JA PreventNCD, the authors highlight how Joint Actions help translate shared European priorities into coordinated action across Member States. By pooling expertise, developing common approaches and supporting scalable and transferable interventions, Joint Actions strengthen institutional capacity, cross-country collaboration and policy learning.
The editorial calls for three safeguards in the next EU budget: protected funding for health promotion and disease prevention; the continuation of Joint Actions or an equivalent cross-border implementation mechanism; and health-specific governance, monitoring and accountability.
Read the full paper in the European Journal of Public Health: