The European Parliament believes it is important that the EU's health program is more than just a response to the COVID-19 crisis. According to MEPs, it should bring benefits not only in terms of ad hoc crisis management, but also when speaking about long-term goals. It should be part of a joint action plan to support health policy in the EU over the next seven years. The program will be an important tool to ensure the creation of strong and resilient health systems in the member states to cope with the COVID-19 wave and any other future health crises.
Therefore, the European Commission has proposed an ambitious, separate health financing program to provide specific support for future health challenges. Under the proposal, the funding of this new program will amount to EUR 9.4 billion, which is significantly more than before.
The leader of the EAPL-CFA commented on the proposals submitted by the European Commission: ‘I welcomed the Commission's proposal for a separate health program, with a much larger budget compared to its previous version. This is very important, especially from the point of view of smaller member states such as Lithuania, which need additional support for health protection. Only a separate and robust program will address future health threats and, more importantly, make EU health systems more resilient and able to cope with current shortcomings.’
‘While Union's actions in the field of health are limited, it should still pursue a coherent public health strategy to respond to existing threats, taking into account regional and national specificities. The Union should support Member States in reducing health inequalities and achieving universal health coverage, and in meeting the challenges of vulnerable groups such as children or low-income families. When supporting the health service, let us remember that people's health and life are the most important,’ said Tomaševski.
In addition to the EU action program in the field of health, issues related to the activities of the European Ombudsman, the conflict in Syria and the long-term vision for rural areas were discussed.