The European Heart Network (EHN) welcomes the initiative by a coalition of 13 EU Member States calling on the European Commission to reinstate operating grants for health non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under the EU4Health programme.
In a non-paper led by France and supported by Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain, the countries urge the Commission to reintroduce structural funding for health NGOs as part of the EU4Health Work Programme. They stress that these organisations play a vital role in strengthening the objectives of the European Health Union and contribute to the public interest by ensuring the participation of civil society and patients in EU health policymaking.
Operating grants represent a very small share of the EU4Health budget, yet they are essential for enabling health NGOs to participate meaningfully as stakeholders at EU level. They support the operational capacity required for expertise, representation, coordination of networks, dissemination of evidence and support for the implementation of EU health policies in Member States.
The discontinuation of operating grants risks has weakened civil society participation in EU health policy and undermines the continuity of expertise and stakeholder engagement that EU institutions rely on. The Member States also warn that it may increase inequalities in representation and create a perception of reduced dialogue between the EU and civil society.
EHN supports the call from Member States to reinstate operating grants from the 2026 EU4Health Work Programme and to ensure that health NGOs can continue contributing independent expertise and the patient perspective to EU health policy. EHN hopes that the European Commission will take this call into account and act swiftly to restore operating grants for health NGOs.