Funding
What EU funds can be used to address health equity, and how can health-promoting services be financed?
Governments need to provide adequate health and social services so that individuals can reach their highest possible standard of health1OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2019), Lithuania: Country Health Profile 2019, State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels.. However, healthcare budgets are inherently limited.
Current levels of investment
The demand for public services is rising because of our ageing populations and the rising burden of ill health. However, public sector investments in education, health, and social protection are 20% lower than a decade ago2Fransen, L., Del Bufalo, G., & Reviglio, E. (2018). Boosting investment in social infrastructure in Europe. (Report of the High-Level Task Force on Investing in Social Infrastructure in Europe) discussion paper (74) . The investment gap in social infrastructure in the EU (education, housing, health, social services) is estimated to be €192 billion/year. Furthermore, the health investment gap increased from €20 to €70 billion/year due to the COVID-19 crisis, around 0.6% of EU GDP. There are also large variations across countries3Commission Staff Working Document “Identifying Europe's recovery needs”, European Commission, Brussels, 27.5.2020, DOI: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/economy-finance/assessment_of_economic_and_investment_needs.pdf.
To complement national governments’ efforts to provide adequate public services, on this page you can find information about:
- The EU budget and funding for 2021 – 2027
- Novel ways of financing and investment in health promoting services
EU Funding
EU funds offer underused opportunities to make shifts in approaches, to test initiatives, to initiate partnerships, and to establish good practices.
Read more about the most important EU funds which can be used to improve health and reduce health inequalities.
Financing e-Guide
The e-guide assists health and social care planners, policymakers at national, regional and local levels in developing and financing of health promoting services that benefit health and wellbeing for all.
