Firstly, in  the proposal shared with the College of Commissioners on 1 March 2018, the Health Programme appears as a sub category of the "Internal Market" cluster, along with a diverse group of other programmes. ESIP believes that the inclusion of the Health Programme in the internal market cluster would conflict with its objectives and would weaken the visibility of the European Union's investment in health. 

Instead, we advocate to maintain a separate Health Programme within the "Investing in People" cluster. The EU's commitment to health should also be reflected in the structure of the Commission by maintaining a specialised DG for Health. 

Within the MFF post-2020, the future Framework Programme 9 for research and innovation will also be an important health policy instrument. In particular, as the sustainability and resilience of healthcare systems are faced with the challenges of an ageing population, increasing levels of chronic disease and high-priced medical technologies, public investment is crucial. However, we believe this requires a regulatory framework which guarantees public return on public investment. 

Therefore, in view of the preparation of the new Framework Programme 9, ESIP calls on the European Commission to increase the social impact of European research and innovation. 

Find out more in our open letters on the future of the Health Programme and on the preparation of Framework Programme 9.