EU4Health program goes into effect to promote innovation in health sector

27 / 03 / 2021

By Marwa Nassar - -

The EU4Health program went into force with an aim to mark the final step towards making €5.1 billion available to strengthen the resilience of health systems and promote innovation in the health sector.

The EU4Health will make a significant contribution to the post-COVID-19 recovery by making the EU population healthier, supporting the fight against cross-border health threats and boosting the EU’s preparedness and capability to respond effectively to future health crisis, as part of a future strong European Health Union.

Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: “As of today, we start charting a new course for EU health policy. The entry into force of our EU4Health Program will give us the tools at hand to make long-standing changes in public health. This unprecedented budget of €5.1 billion will enable us to make targeted investments to enhance our crisis preparedness and build stronger, more resilient and more accessible health systems. This is what our citizens rightfully expect from a European Health Union.”

The EU4Health Program is an ambitious and dedicated funding program for 2021-2027 to ensure a high level of human health protection in all Union policies and activities in keeping with the One Health approach.

The Program, proposed by the Commission on 28 May 2020, is the EU’s response to COVID-19, which has had a major impact on medical and healthcare staff, patients and health systems in the EU. EU4Health is the largest EU health program ever in monetary terms and will provide funding to EU countries, health organizations and NGOs.

EU4Health aims to improve and foster health in the Union; protect people in the Union from serious cross-border threats to health; enhance the availability, accessibility and affordability of medicinal products, medical devices and crisis-relevant products; and strengthen health systems, their resilience and resource efficiency.