Thirteen Member States sent a letter to the Commission protesting the cessation of operating grants to health NGOs
92% confidence
HealthEuropean Union
Omissions
The specific Member States were: Austria, Belgium, Estonia, France, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain. The communication was a 'non-paper' rather than a formal letter, coordinated by France.
The protest was specifically about the EU4Health programme's removal of operating grants starting from the 2025 Work Programme, with a call to reinstate them from 2026.
Sources
SecondaryEuropean Public Health Alliance (EPHA)A coalition of 13 Member States issued a non-paper calling on the Commission to reconsider the removal of operating grants for civil society organisations under the EU4Health programme
SecondaryEuropean Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) / EUPHAFrance sent a non-paper on 5 March 2026 to the European Commission calling for the reintroduction of operating grants under EU4Health from 2026, backed by 13 Member States
SecondaryAlzheimer EuropeThe Member States involved in the non-paper were Austria, Belgium, France, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain