EPF’s policy priorities for the new EU mandate

As we prepare to tackle current and future cross-border health challenges, the European Health Union must step up its coordination efforts to pave the way for greater access to high-quality healthcare for all. From equitable access to healthcare and medical products shortages, to cross-border health threats and EU health funding, EPF has put forward patient-centred proposals for the new mandate.

Read the full report here.

EQUITABLE ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE

Unacceptable inequalities remain within the EU in terms of access to medicines and healthcare more broadly. We support further EU action on: 

• Expanding regional cooperation initiatives on pricing & reimbursement of new medicines and use of joint procurement for medicines that are less commercially attractive or out of reach in the poorest EU member states, including highly innovative treatments, orphan products, or older generics that are in shortage.
• Ensuring adequate implementation of the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Regulation [1] - including a greater uptake of good practices related to patient involvement in HTA processes.
• As the EU reviews the Pharmaceutical Legislation [2] and considers a future Biotech Act, it is crucial to ensure a balanced approach between encouraging rapid research & development of safe and effective products that provide real added value to patients.
• Addressing gaps in the current framework for cross-border access to healthcare, thereby expanding patients’ options and enabling them to receive the care they need.

MEDICAL PRODUCTS SHORTAGES AND A FUTURE CRITICAL MEDICINES ACT [3]

In 2023, medicine shortages continued to affect all European countries and worsened compared to 2022 in most countries [4]. In particular we call for:

• An effective solidarity mechanism between Member States to alleviate shortages in the short term, which must be accompanied by transparency on available stocks.
• An evidence-based approach to public procurement of medicines which takes into account security of supply as part of the award criteria.
• A thorough impact assessment of measures considered to diversify and improve the resilience of the supply chain in Europe. In this process, public health should be the driving factor.
• A thorough assessment of the implementation of the medical devices and in-vitro diagnostic medical devices regulations to gain a granular understanding of their impacts on patient safety and availability of existing and new devices [5].

CROSS-BORDER HEALTH THREATS

• A comprehensive approach to tackling antimicrobial resistance is needed, centred around community engagement and awareness-raising campaigns at EU level among healthcare professionals, patients, and the wider public, in close collaboration with civil society organisations [6]. The EU must further support member states to identify clear measures to reach the Council Recommendations targets by 2030 and effectively address the threat of AMR.
• While supporting policies that promote a healthier environment, it is important to ensure that the green transition is well-coordinated and contributes to more sustainable and resilient healthcare systems.

EU HEALTH FUNDING

We regret the budget cuts to the EU4Health programme and stand ready to work with the European Commission to ensure that the EU4Health programme is accessible to civil society organisations and that it is adequately funded to achieve its objectives. As the EU institutions prepare the next Multiannual Financial Framework, we urge them to prioritise a strong, integrated, and streamlined EU health budget [7].

Key focus areas from our perspective include:

• Strengthen the resilience and sustainability of healthcare systems to improve preparedness and better address future health threats.
• Prioritise health literacy and digital health literacy to support a successful, patient-centred, digital transformation of healthcare systems. The know-how of initiatives such as EPF’s Data Saves Lives should be leveraged to ensure inclusive design of educational materials and spread awareness about the importance of health data.
• Recognise the central role of civil society organisations in supporting the EU in achieving its public health objectives. We call for the institutionalisation of sustainable, inclusive, and accessible operating grants to ensure civil society organisations have the resources and stability they need to fulfil their public health mission [8].

Achieving these priorities requires engagement with patient organisations, which can make a major contribution to the development of more patient-centred healthcare systems. They ensure that healthcare systems and policies meet the needs of those they are serving: the patients. EPF’s manifesto highlights 10 key points to support more democratic and systematic involvement of patient organisations [9].