Will EU health funding be restored in 2025?

Members of the European (MEPs) Parliament will have a full plenary debate on the EU’s budget for 2025 at the Strasbourg plenary today (18 September).

The Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI), under the leadership of its Chair, Antonio Decaro MEP (Italy, S&D), issued harsh criticism of the cuts to EU health funding as agreed by the European Council in February, MEPS have tabled amendments to reinstate funding for EU4Health and the Horizon Health Cluster.

There will no doubt be lively debates in the plenary today, but ultimately the battle will be fought in Council, probably in the early hours of the morning. This is the fifth annual budget of the current multiannual financial framework (2021-2027).

The European Council announced their planned cut of €1 billion from the EU4Health programme in December 2023, redeploying funds to help Ukraine. MEPs argued at the time, that the 20% cut to the EU’s main health programme was disproportionate, this view is shared by the new parliament.

The Commission has been working to find the best possible way, to limit the impact of budget cuts. Many in the health community will hope that resources can be found from underspending in other areas and existing budgetary instruments, to allow some flexibility.

Also in Strasbourg

MEPs will discuss the EU’s response to the mpox outbreak today (17:00) and its possibility of spreading in Europe. European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides will present the Commission’s actions so far.

The parliament is likely to reject two Commission proposals to adjust the maximum residue levels (MRLs) of two pesticides not authorised in Europe. Here is more from the Euracitv agriculture team.

Outside the hemicycle

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s decision to offer Hungary’s Olivér Varhelyi the health portfolio for the next five years, is worrying MEPs. They have told Euractiv that he would be unacceptable to them. We expect that there will be a strong response from the parliament.

Will there be a full-standing committee on health? It is still not clear if the parliament will make the current sub-committee on public health a full standing committee and what its remit would be. Watch this space.

‘Slap in the face’ for the disabled

Varhelyi is not the only choice to have ruffled feathers. The European Disability Forum said it was “extremely outraged” by how the equality portfolio has been treated.

“It is unbelievable that the proposal excludes a standalone portfolio on Equality,” said Yannis Vardakastanis, the president of the European Disability Forum. “We are outraged by this ‘downgrade’; it is a ‘slap in the face’ for millions of people and risks all the progress that the Commission has made so far regarding our rights. We urgently ask members of the European Parliament to lead the charge in restoring the position of Commissioner for Equality as a standalone portfolio.”

Worrying wastewater

The latest data from the 18 EU countries that monitor SARS-CoV-2 virus levels in wastewater indicate that six countries (Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, and Lativa) have shown an upward trend, which is a reliable indicator that COVID is more prevalent in the population. For Austria, Hungary and the Netherlands the situation is stable.

Reassuring to know – at least for our Brussels readers – that Vivalis is rolling out its vaccination against COVID-19 and recommending seasonal flu vaccination. For more information click here.

39 million deaths – antimicrobial resistance is a global health emergency

A new in-depth global analysis of the impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) published in The Lancet suggests more than 39 million deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections could occur between now and 2050.

Despite the attention AMR has received at the global level, the report says that implementation and funding of national action plans has been uneven, leading to uncertain progress in attenuating the burden of AMR.

Patients organisations and healthcare professionals

The Commission has launched a selection procedure to appoint representatives of patients’ organisations and healthcare professionals in the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

… and for advanced therapies

There is also an open selection procedure to appoint the representatives of patients’ associations and clinicians for EMA’s Committee for Advanced Therapies.

The European Commission wants member states to ban cigarettes, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products from outdoor areas, according to new recommendations published on Tuesday (17 September).

During a visit to Ukraine last week, WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Kluge, called for a renewed focus on health.

Millions of Europeans are depriving themselves of essential goods such as healthcare and food due to lack of money, a new survey published by Ipsos and French charity Secours Populaire on Thursday (12 September) reveals.

Slovakia

Slovakia’s health minister facing potential no-confidence vote following turbulent summer

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Poland

Polish government approves Rare Diseases Plan for 2024-2025

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Belgium

Belgium meets UNAIDS targets, political uncertainty threatens further progress

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Sweden

New guideline for Swedish doctors criticised for putting patients at serious risk

16-19 September | Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), agenda, European Medicines Agency, Amsterdam

18 September | Coreper I meeting

19 September | Working Party on Sport

23 September | Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), European Parliament, Brussels

24-27 September | European Health Forum, Gastein

26 September | Committee on Public Health (SANT), European Parliament, Brussels

26 September | UN General Assembly 79, High-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

*Clara Bauer-Babef, Catherine Feore, Vasiliki Angouridi and Lydia Williams contributed to this brief.

[Edited by Rajnish Singh]

Thanks for reading. Stay healthy and see you next week!

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Catherine Feore, Health Editor, Clara Bauer-Babef, Health Reporter