Summary
- The recently elected European Parliament faces challenge of supporting national governments in delivering strong health services for aging populations and stressed healthcare systems.
- Experts emphasize need for new parliament to focus on equitable care and innovation. This should build on initiatives from previous parliament.
- Citizens have expressed desire for health to be top priority for European Parliament. They call for action to reduce healthcare disparities and ensure universal health coverage.
- EU’s role in healthcare expanded during COVID-19 pandemic. This led to initiatives like Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. It aims to address health inequalities across member states.
- Concerns have been raised that new right-leaning European Parliament may prioritize health less than its predecessor. This could possibly affect global supply chains and access to medicines.
The European Parliament is facing the challenge of helping European governments provide better healthcare services as populations age and healthcare systems get more stressed. The health industry in Europe is struggling to keep up with global competitors.
Experts are saying that the EU’s role in healthcare has never been more important. They are focusing on issues like another potential health crisis, refugee crises, economic crises, and bioterrorism.
In a recent public debate on the future health priorities of the European Union, over 64% of respondents agreed that the EU should focus more on health. People want more equality in access to healthcare services and medicines, especially for vulnerable populations like migrants.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU played a bigger role in healthcare than before. This led to initiatives like Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, which aims to reduce health disparities across Europe by sharing knowledge and best practices among member states.
However, there are concerns that the new European Parliament may not prioritize health as much as the previous one, especially since health was mentioned less in the 2024 campaign. Some worry that people have already forgotten the lessons from the pandemic.
The EU’s strategic agenda for 2024-2029 includes a focus on health and pharmaceuticals for the first time. But there are concerns that right-leaning political parties, who may not support open trade, could impact the accessibility and prices of medicines.
Overall, experts are optimistic that healthcare will remain a priority for the EU. The key question now is how much funding will be allocated to support these health priorities.
Public Health & Prevention, Healthcare, European Union