Reset EU health policy to deliver for citizens, Socialists and Democrats urge

As the European Commission prepares to present its 2026 Work Programme, Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament today publish a major new position paper focused on setting a new EU health agenda.

Health as a Priority Across All Areas - the outcome of a nine-month process within S&D policymaking bodies - calls for the urgent overhaul of the EU's compartmentalised and fragmented approach to health.

Only through health mainstreaming - systematically embedding health and wellbeing into all areas of EU policymaking, and linking people's health to both their natural and manmade environment under a systemic approach - can the EU have a real positive impact on the health of all citizens.

Christophe Clergeau, S&D vice-president, said:

"After health was neglected in the recent State of the Union address, we are here to fill the gap left by a European Commission that is not making the most of health policy.

"Health has always been a core part of our progressive programme at the national level, now we want to deliver at the EU level, leveraging the power of the EU to better prevent ill-health and improve access to quick, affordable and quality treatment for all citizens, especially the most vulnerable. Health is a fundamental right for all citizens, and the EU must defend it.

"This starts from acknowledging that your life - how you live and work, what you eat, and the dangerous products and pollution you are exposed to, such as chemicals and PFAS - defines your health. We want to embed this exposome principle by mainstreaming health across EU policy - this is how we can revolutionise the way the EU protects and promotes citizens' health."

For the S&Ds, EU health policy has the potential to make a powerful and tangible difference in people's daily lives, by promoting a preventive approach and quicker, more affordable and better quality treatment for all, including through a comprehensive strategy on rare diseases and an action plan on rare diseases. As the management of healthcare systems remains a national competence, the EU should, and must, bring its own added value to tackle European and global health challenges, within the framework of its competences.

Among the more than 60 key policy demands in the document, the position paper calls for a Health Policy Coordination Board to align EU plans in areas such as cancer, cardiovascular, mental health and prevention, and to share indicators, coordinate evaluations, and ensure health is mainstreamed across all EU policies. The paper also proposes to develop a Health Risk Assessment framework as part of the legislative process.

The most recent State of the European Union only addressed the EU's international role in health. The Commission's work programme should be a next step, starting with key S&D priorities such as revising tobacco legislation, boosting access to healthy food, a cardiovascular health strategy, prevention policies, and women's health.

To finance these priorities the position paper calls for an ambitious, reinforced, and protected EU health budget that keeps public health as its top priority, and continues to support civil society, research, innovation, and policies that deliver real value for patients and society.

The S&D's Position Paper, Health as a Priority Across All Policies, can be read in full here.