11/07/2025
A leaked draft regulation from the European Commission reveals the contours of the post-2027 European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), a proposed mega-instrument to consolidate EU investments in technology, defence, clean tech, biotech, and yes, health.
The ambition is striking: simplify fragmented funding schemes, streamline application procedures, and boost Europe’s competitiveness on the global stage. Among the many programmes to be absorbed by the ECF is the EU4Health programme — one of the few EU-level instruments that explicitly centres public health. Under the new proposal, health becomes just one of many “strategic sectors” — nestled somewhere between defence innovation and space infrastructure.
This shift is not just bureaucratic; it’s ideological.
Health is more than a competitive asset. It’s a social good and a fundamental right. Reducing it to a mere “dimension” of economic competitiveness, as the ECF framework implies, strips it of its intrinsic value and neglects its deeper role in building resilient, equitable societies.
What’s at Stake?
The leaked ECF regulation reads like a manifesto for industrial acceleration. It outlines streamlined investments from “research to deployment,” with flexible tools to de-risk private capital and consolidate public and private funding.
Health policy, in this context, is framed not through the lens of universal access, social justice or prevention, but through productivity, innovation pipelines, and pharmaceutical competitiveness. The entire discourse is calibrated toward market logic.
If this vision proceeds unchecked, we risk allowing our health systems to be shaped by return on investment, rather than population need. The social determinants of health — such as education, housing, and the environment — are nowhere to be found in the ECF’s narrative. Nor are the commercial determinants (like the influence of corporate practices on health), the economic determinants (including inequality and job insecurity), or the broader political determinants that shape access to care and health equity.
Where Is the Democratic Debate?
It is difficult to overstate the significance of absorbing EU4Health into a fund designed primarily for industrial competitiveness. There is no public debate. No parliamentary scrutiny yet. No strong assurances that health equity, mental health, or long-term care will have a meaningful place in this new framework.
Will this Fund invest in preventive care, cross-border cooperation on non-communicable diseases, or the mental health crisis among Europe’s youth? Or will it focus narrowly on biotech scale-ups and health data as digital capital?
The choice is not a technical one; it is deeply political.
A Call for Civic Vigilance
The ECF cannot come at the expense of Europe’s commitment to people’s health and well-being. We call on the European Parliament, national governments, and civil society to scrutinise this proposal closely. Health should not be a footnote to competitiveness. It must remain a priority in its own right.