Programme for the Union’s Action in the Field of Health

EU4Health, with an initial €5.7 billion budget for the 2021-27 period, reduced to €4.6 billion following the revision of the 2021-2027 MFF, has the following main 4 objectives:

Improve and foster health in the Union,
Protect people in the Union from serious cross-border threats to health,
To make medicines available and affordable,
To strengthen health systems, their resilience and resource efficiency.

What does it finance?

EU4Health funds actions on:

Actions on disease prevention, health promotion and for addressing health determinants
Supporting global commitments and health initiatives
Strengthening the capability of the Union for prevention, preparedness and response to cross-border health threats
Enhancement of availability, accessibility and affordability of medicinal products, medical devices and crisis-relevant products
Supporting actions complementing national stockpiling on essential crisis relevant products
Training a reserve of medical, healthcare and support staff
Encouraging sustainable production, supply chains and innovation in the Union and supporting the prudent and efficient use of medicinal products
Improving health data and promote the uptake of digital tools and services and the digital transformation of healthcare systems
Promoting the implementation of best practices and data sharing
Improving access to quality, patient-centered, outcome-based healthcare and related care services
Supporting integrated work among national health systems

What kind of funding does it provide?

The programme may provide funding in any of the forms laid downs in the Financial Regulation, in particular in the form of grants, prizes and procurements. It may also be used in combination with other financing instruments (e.g. blending operations) from the European Investment Bank (e.g. HERA Invest), from national promotional banks or from other development or public financial institutions, as well as in combination with financing from private-sector finance institutions and from public-sector or private-sector investors, including through public-public or public-private partnerships.

Grants paid by the Programme shall not exceed 60 % of eligible costs for an action relating to an objective of the Programme or for the functioning of a non-governmental body. In cases of exceptional utility, the contribution by the Union may be up to 80 % of eligible costs. Actions with a clear Union added value shall be considered to have exceptional utility, inter alia, where:

(a)	At least 30 % of the budget of the proposed action is allocated to Member States whose GNI per inhabitant is less than 90 % of the Union average; or
(b)	Bodies from at least 14 participating Member States participate in the action, of which at least four are Member States whose GNI per inhabitant is less than 90 % of the Union average.

In the case of the direct grants referred to International Organisations (WHO), such grants may be up to 100 % of eligible costs.

Besides “traditional” procurement, in cases where the emergence or development of a serious cross-border threat to health has been notified under Article 9 of Decision No 1082/2013/EU, or where a situation of public health emergency has been recognised under Article 12 of that Decision, procurement under this Regulation may take any of the following forms:

(a)	Joint procurement with the Member States as referred to in Article 165(2) of the Financial Regulation whereby Member States may acquire, rent or lease fully the jointly procured capacities;

(b)	Procurement by the Commission on behalf of the Member States on the basis of an agreement between the Commission and the Member States;

(c)	Procurement by the Commission acting as wholesaler by buying, stocking and reselling or donating supplies and services, including rentals, for the benefit of Member States or partner organisations selected by the Commission.

Which authorities are responsible for this instrument?

The EU4HEALTH Programme is managed by the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE, European Commission) in cooperation with the Directorate-General for Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (DG HERA, European Commission) and mainly implemented by the Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA).

Which countries are eligible?

EU Member States and associated non-EU countries (Norway, Iceland, Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina) to the Programme.

How to apply and other relevant information

EU Funding & Tenders Portalopens in new tab

Programme website:

EU4Health programme 2021-2027 – a vision for a healthier European Union - Public Healthopens in new tab

Project examples

Projects funded under the EU4HEALTH Programme on prevention, preparedness and response to cross-border health threats include, for instance:

Direct grants to Member States’ authorities: Union and national surveillance systems. This joint action aims to support Member States and the Union in the implementation of digitalised, integrated surveillance systems at Union and national level, to ensure better detection of early signals for accurate risk assessment and response.
EU Wastewater Integrated Surveillance for Public Health (EU-WISH)opens in new tab. This joint action will target and bring together relevant structures at national level and will facilitate the integration and complementarity of wastewater surveillance with other surveillance systems with a public health perspective to strengthen preparedness and response to cross border health threats.