Brussels, 16th December 2020.
An agreement between the European Parliament and the Council has been found on the new EU4Health programme. 5.1 billion euro will be made available for this initiative to invest in health promotion and disease prevention measures and prepare European health systems to face future health threats.
As co-chair of the MEP Lung Health Group Željana Zovko welcomed the conclusion of the agreement. “The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that the European health sector urgently needs additional support. We need to focus on long term health issues, better preparedness for future crises and further cooperation between the EU and MS in safeguarding our citizen’s health.”
One specific objective of the programme is to support actions complementing national stockpiling of essential crisis relevant products at Union level in cooperation with RescEU and other key players. 20% of the total budget will be reserved for health promotion and disease prevention by addressing health risks such as the harmful use of alcohol and tobacco. The EU’s fight against cancer is also a priority. In addition, it will be possible to support global health initiatives and actions proposed by the WHO.
The provisional deal of the negotiators still needs to be approved by the European Parliament as well as the Council.