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Marchais, I. “Making health a European priority”, Policy Paper N°311, Institut Jacques Delors, Avril 2025

Five years ago, the Covid-19 pandemic began, revealing that warning signs of the risk of such a crisis had not been sufficiently heeded, and that we had too little capacity to deal with it. After a phase of stupefaction, Europeans were nevertheless able to act collectively and in a spirit of solidarity, including with the rest of the world.

It is against this backdrop that the “European Health Union” has been created, in an area where competences remain predominantly national. Unveiled in November 2020, it is intended to help Member States prepare for and respond to new crossborder health crises, as well as ensuring the supply of medicines and promoting modern, innovative health policies.

Numerous measures, some of them bold, have since been adopted, but the initial ambition is now waning. Yet health is a fundamental right, and as such should remain at the heart of the European agenda, in line with citizens’ expectations. The well-being of people depends on it, as does the smooth running of society and the economy.