Prevention, investment and reform in healthcare bring economic prosperity

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

A new report published as part of the State of Health in the EU shows Europe urgently needs innovative and resilient health systems to improve healthcare and boost competitiveness. With pressing challenges such as ageing populations and non-communicable diseases, EU Member States are now advancing and putting in place critical reforms, supported by EU funding.

Today’s Synthesis Report identifies four critical areas for improvement: preventing non-communicable diseases, accelerating the digital health transformation, strengthening primary care, and promoting affordable access to pharmaceuticals and innovation.

The report highlights the following key health system reform challenges and the support the EU is providing to overcome them:

1. Addressing the major health concern of non-communicable diseases (NCDs): NCDs are the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the EU. In 2022, more than 725,000 deaths could have been prevented. They are increasingly affecting younger populations. Across Europe, rates of childhood inactivity and obesity are rising, more than 20% of 15-year-olds use e-cigarettes. Preventing NCD mortality in the EU would reduce the workforce decline due to an ageing population by 12% between 2022-2040. With around 62 million people living with cardiovascular disease in the EU, the Commission will also this year present an EU cardiovascular health plan, targeting diabetes and obesity especially in younger generations. To address the threat of NCDs more broadly, the Commission has launched Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the Healthier Together Initiative and is supporting Member States and health organisations with funding from the EU4Health Programme.
2. Strengthening the backbone of EU health care: EU primary care is facing challenges such as rising demand linked to an ageing population, chronic diseases, workforce shortages and underinvestment. In 2024, over one third of European adults (35%) reported a long-standing illness or health problem. Primary care is a top EU reform priority with Member States advancing reforms to attract and retain primary care providers and develop new community-based care models. The EU Cohesion Funds and Recovery and Resilience Facility provide support to Member States to improve access, coverage and continuity of primary care, especially in underserved and rural areas.
3. Improving healthcare through technology: With COVID-19 as a backdrop and particularly supported by the European Health Data Space (EHDS), the EU has significantly accelerated the digital transformation of healthcare. Investment in health-related ICT has grown by about 30% since 2015, responding to rising healthcare demands and fostering innovation and high-skilled jobs in the health tech sector. All Member States are now providing access to electronic health records and investments in ePrescriptions, AI integration, and digital governance are expanding, including through over €14,5 billion in support from the Recovery and Resilience Facility, EU4Health and other EU funding programmes.
4. Supporting EU competitiveness through affordable access to pharmaceuticals and innovation: In 2023, pharmacy medicines represented around 60% of total pharmaceutical expenditure and 13% of total health expenditure in the EU. Amidst rising medicine prices and growing demand, Member States have implemented important pharmaceutical reforms between 2020 and 2025 to improve access and affordability of medicines, aligned with and supported by the reform of the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation and the Health Technology Assessment regulation.

Alongside the report, 29 Country Health Profiles have also been published, which cover the latest developments in health trends and health systems across all EU countries, plus Iceland and Norway. They reflect specific challenges that countries face, and provide an analysis of the effectiveness, accessibility and resilience of each country’s health system, with a special focus on pharmaceuticals.

Background

The State of Health in the EU cycle is a partnership between the European Commission, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Health Division and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (the Observatory), launched by the Commission in 2016 and funded by the EU4Health Programme. The aim is to gather up-to-date data and in-depth analyses on health and health systems and make information easily accessible to stakeholders. This strengthens the evidence base for policymakers and other health stakeholders seeking to improve the performance of health systems in the EU.