Health and Social issues – always entwined, and now funded through the same programme
Ms Andriana Sukova, Deputy Director-General from DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion discusses with Mr Martin Seychell, Deputy Director-General for health from DG Health and Food Safety, the proposal for the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) Regulation, adopted by the Commission on 30 May 2018 with the intention of building a more resilient and inclusive 'Social Europe' for all citizens. The programme invests in Europe's most valuable resource – its people. Previously the European Social Funds primarily focused on employment, social inclusion, skills, and education, but the 'plus' includes a 'Health Strand' through which 413 million Euros will be available for health spending.
Why is the health budget now part of a social funding instrument?
Ms Sukova: The European Pillar of Social Rights serves as a compass and framework for investments under ESF+ post 2020 and includes a principle on health: everyone has the right to timely access to affordable, preventive and curative health care of good quality. Besides, health and social issues are closely related. Socio-economic status is the most important determinant of health – people with low incomes and low levels of education are still, today, at greatest risk for health problems. A key element of health and social policies is addressing inequalities. Just as social status impacts health, health impacts social issues like employment and family and community engagement and the economy.
Mr Seychell: The EU needs a healthy active population to keep the economy strong and build for the future, and with the challenge of an ageing population especially, prevention and health promotion are vital to making sure that health systems are sustainable and not overburdened in the future.
Ms Sukova: The inclusion of the health programme as a strand of ESF+ is to make sure that, wherever relevant, health aspects are addressed in all social spending, and vice versa. Of course, this also reflects the key position that health occupies in the European Pillar of Social Rights.
What will happen to the Commission's previous main funding instrument for health, the Health Programme?
Mr Seychell: The former Health Programme has been embedded into the ESF+ through a dedicated budget of € 413 million for the health strand. The implementation of the health strand will remain under the sole authority of the Commissioner for Health, and all operational aspects will be managed by the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety.
Ms Sukova: The health strand will be implemented through Work Programmes following consultations with Member States. We plan that the Steering Group on Health Promotion and Diseases Prevention will be the central 'hub' for consulting health authorities of Member States on all matters of health related spending in the ESF+ as well as under the Horizon Europe (FP9) and Digital Europe programmes, in order to provide health authorities with a much better overview of health related spending than ever before.
Does this mean that the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety will be working more closely with other DGs?
M. Seychell: Yes, and this closer collaboration is what was intended by the Commission's shift towards a 'Health in all Policies' approach. Just as a holistic approach to medicine involves looking at everything that influences a patient's health and not just one particular symptom, the Health in all Policies approach looks at how health impacts and is influenced by other factors that are the responsibility of other Directorate Generals. The connection between research and health might be obvious, but education, agriculture, investment, equal opportunities, the environment and many other factors influence health and health greatly impacts them. Ultimately, closer coordination and consistency will maximise the impact of EU actions, to the benefit of EU citizens.
Activities at EU level
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Health policies in the future EU budget (2021-2027) European Commission – Health and Food Safety |
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Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency |
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European Commission – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion |
News
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Health will be strongly supported in the future EU budget (2021-2027) The Commission has adopted legislative proposals for the sectoral funds and programmes, including the new European Social Fund Plus Programme, the new European Regional Development Fund. The Horizon Europe Programme, the Digital Europe Programmes and the InvestEU Fund. |
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Fact sheet explains how health policies will receive EU funding through various mechanisms Health-related resources will be part of the budget of several priority areas: social protection, research and innovation, the digitisation of society, cohesion and global responsibility. This factsheet makes a complex topic easier to understand. |
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The new European Social Fund Plus, worth €101.2 billion is an financial instrument oriented towards the European Social Pillar and sustainable development goals, with a clear link with the Country Specific Recommendations of the European Semester. |
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The 22 May 2018 event was organised by the Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, the International Foundation of Integrated Care, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, and Leiden University Medical Center Campus, The Hague. |
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Commissioner Andriukaitis and Minister Lydia Mutsch answered questions from the public, including one on the new financing framework for health, in this lively event held on 21 June 2018. Read the summary and watch the video here. |
Health Programme Projects
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Health Programme included in the European Social Fund Plus The European Union’s Health Programme, implemented by the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency, will now be incorporated as a dedicated strand in the European Social Fund Plus Programme. |