25/09/2025
The European Commission has effectively cut off funding for European health NGOs by failing to publish the 2025 call for EU4Health operating grants, a decision that could force many organisations to close their doors. Operating grants, though representing just 1% of the EU4Health budget, are the lifeline that keep civil society groups running: paying staff, coordinating volunteers, and engaging in EU policy debates. Without them, NGOs cannot plan ahead, maintain capacity, or deliver services to patients and communities. This is not just a budget issue; it’s about democracy and participation. By cutting operating grants, the EU risks silencing the very organisations that connect institutions with citizens, deliver public health programmes, and hold policymakers to account. Delaying or withholding grants undermines trust, weakens implementation of EU health policy, and disproportionately harms smaller organisations that lack reserves or alternative funding sources. It also sets a worrying precedent for how the EU treats its civil society in times of budget stress or institutional inertia.
Civil society fights back
In response, 25 health and patient groups, members of the EU4Health Civil Society Alliance, have taken the unprecedented step of filing a formal complaint with the European Ombudsman. The complaint follows a letter sent earlier this month urging the Commission to immediately restore the operating grants call.
The organisations argue that the Commission’s inaction breaches EU law, including:
- the duty of good administration (Charter of Fundamental Rights; TFEU);
- transparency obligations under EU law;
- timing rules in the Financial Regulation related to calls and grant procedures;
- the legitimate expectations created by signing the FPAs and submitting amended work plans.
What they are asking for
Civil society is demanding:
- Immediate publication of the 2025 operating grant call (or a fully reasoned alternative).
- Restoration of operating grant support for all FPA holders, with a clear disbursement timeline (requested by 30 September 2025).
- Engagement with civil society to ensure transparency, participation, and legal safeguards in future cycles.
The coming weeks will be critical. If the Ombudsman accepts the complaint for investigation, this could force institutional accountability and clarify EU obligations towards civil society. We will continue to monitor developments and call upon decision‐makers to act in the interest of health, democracy, and legal certainty.