Decisions on how European public funds are spent have a direct impact on the health of those of us living in the European Union, from air quality to exposure to hazardous substances and other environmental risks. For this reason, at Salud por Derecho we have submitted our contribution to the European Commission’s call for evidence on the application of the “Do No Significant Harm” (DNSH) principle under the next EU budget for 2028–2034.
Our main demand is that health impacts are no longer treated as a secondary outcome, but are explicitly and bindingly integrated, on an equal footing with environmental objectives, into investment design. Currently, the EU applies this principle — known as DNSH — to determine which projects can be funded under the Multiannual Financial Framework. However, it focuses primarily on environmental criteria and does not always capture how these investments affect human health.
The consequences are clear. Air pollution causes hundreds of thousands of premature deaths every year in Europe; exposure to hazardous chemicals (including endocrine-disrupting substances and carcinogens) is linked to serious and chronic diseases; and climate change intensifies existing health risks. Despite this, some activities contributing to these harms can still receive EU funding.
We therefore call for health to be clearly integrated into spending decisions and for the exclusion of activities with known harmful impacts, such as those involving hazardous chemicals or support for fossil fuels. It is also necessary to review how “green” investments are identified. Measures that merely mitigate pollution are not sufficient if the source of the problem is not addressed. Prioritising at-source pollution reduction is essential to protect health, particularly in the most exposed communities, such as those living near roads, industrial sites or airports, where noise and air pollution are part of daily life.
This must be accompanied by stronger oversight and transparency. EU institutions should effectively verify compliance with these rules, and information should be public and accessible. Ultimately, the objective is to align EU spending with the protection of health: to ensure that public funds do not support activities that harm people, and instead contribute to safer and healthier environments.
Here you can find the document we submitted to the European Commission with our proposals. You can also download it here.
