On 27 May 2020 the European Commission published its proposal for an extensive recovery plan.
This has been done by means of a newly developed recovery instrument called Next Generation EU, and a reinforced Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-2027 which is a new proposal for the EU long-term budget. Both financing mechanisms will contribute to a new stand-alone EU4Health Programme.
The new EU4Health Programme will be mainly financed by Next Generation EU (i.e. € 7.7 billion) whereas the remaining part will come from the MFF (i.e. 1.7 Billion); nearly 23 times as much as was originally foreseen. Initially, the Commission had planned to earmark the health strand € 413 million for 2021-2027!
The primary goal of this new health budget is to ensure the European Union’s (EU) preparedness and overall capacity in responding to potential future public health crises. This is, of course, a consequence of the crisis we have been experiencing during the COVID-19. It also seeks to reinforce the resilience of health systems and promote the development and access to innovation in healthcare.
For more information on the new EU4Health Programme 2021-2017 please have a look at the Commission’s proposal here.
