The French Government has led on the submission of a non-paper, along with 12 other Member States, calling on the European Commission to reconsider its decision to withdraw operating grants for NGOs as part of the EU4Health programme.
The Member States involved in the non-paper were Austria, Belgium, France, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. The paper argues that modest expenditure guarantees a stable, continuous presence of independent civil society in health policy deliberations. Furthermore, the paper calls for improved processes around the development of the EU4Health Work Programme, to ensure structured, transparent and meaningful inclusion of Member States’ input.
The EU4Health Civil Society Alliance, a coalition of health-focused NGOs has been working on this issue for, highlighting the added value of civil society in the process of developing health policy at an EU level. Most recently, in December 2025, the Alliance issued a statement addressed to EU Member States, urging them to support:
1. The reinstatement of operating grants in the 2026 EU4Health Work Programme
2. A strong, dedicated health budget in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034.
This followed earlier steps, including a complaint to the European Commission and the European Ombudsman regarding the absence of operating grants in 2025, as well as the publication of a blueprint for a dedicated health programme within the new MFF.
The non-paper is available at: https://eupha.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/French-non-paper-leak-1.pdf
