Dental News - Changes to the European Social Fund could keep health high on the agenda

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 23. May 2019

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BRUSSELS, Belgium: The European Social Fund (ESF) is geared towards supporting employment, helping people improve their work situation and ensuring fairer job opportunities for all EU citizens. In this way, it plays a crucial role within the health sector. In a recent announcement, the EU stated that the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) will be part of its budget from 2021 to 2027. The ESF+ will be a more flexible and simpler version of the current ESF. The improvements made to the ESF have been praised by the Council of European Dentists (CED) who believe the ESF+ will be a positive step towards keeping health high on the EU agenda.

Specifically, the ESF+ will merge together the European Social Fund, the Youth Employment Initiative, the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived, the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation, and the EU Health Programme. Regarding changes to the health sector, the direct and indirect management strands on employment and social innovation and health will provide the means to test innovative solutions, support labour mobility in Europe and help modernise health systems in member states.

Marianne Thyssen, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, said: “Europe wants to empower people. We put our money where our mouth is. Our new, flexible and simplified social funds are focused on investing in people: to make sure they have the right skills, to make sure they have modern social protection adapted to new forms of work, and to show solidarity with those who need it most.”

According to the CED, 70 per cent of EU citizens want the EU to do more in the area of health, and it thus supports the European Parliament’s proposal to also increase the amount allocated to the health strand to €473 million. The CED believes this would allow EU member states to enhance their cooperation in key policy areas, including health promotion, disease prevention and provision of better and equal access to high-quality healthcare for all European citizens.

Also in support of the amendments are the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union and the Standing Committee of European Doctors, who together with the CED have called for member states to endorse the European Parliament’s amendments and to provide the EU with the capacity to face health-related challenges. In their statement, they highlighted the fundamental need for the co-legislators not to compromise EU citizens’ future and to secure an appropriate budget for health during the upcoming negotiations.

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