The European Parliament Added Billions to the EU4Health Budget

The EU4Health program will help the EU tackle the health system weaknesses that the pandemic has exposed. More than 5 billion euros were allocated for it. The European Parliament voted by a majority vote on Tuesday, March 9, to allocate an additional 5.1 billion euros to the EU budget, calculated until 2027, for the development of the EU4Health health program. This is several times higher than the costs of pan-European healthcare in the previous budget. Public health system issues are within the jurisdiction of the countries themselves, and the EU's capacity in this area is limited. However, the pandemic has exposed "many weaknesses in national health systems," the MEPs said in a statement. One of the problems is dependence on the supply of medicines, medical devices and protective equipment from non-EU countries. The EU4Health program will create reserves of medical supplies and develop mechanisms for a faster and more effective response to global health threats. In addition, the program will seek solutions to challenges such as an aging population and addiction to alcohol and smoking. The EU4Health program was proposed by the European Commission on May 28, 2020 as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. It is called the most expensive health care program that has ever existed in the world.