{"id":15729,"date":"2026-01-30T08:44:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T07:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saludporderecho.org\/?p=15729"},"modified":"2026-01-30T09:27:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T08:27:21","slug":"european-budget-impacts-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saludporderecho.org\/en\/european-budget-impacts-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"The new European budget ignores the health impacts of climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"

The climate crisis is already one of the main <\/span>threats to public health<\/span><\/b> in Europe<\/span><\/span>. <\/span>Rising temperatures, air pollution and extreme weather events are causing more illness, preventable deaths and inequalities, with a particularly severe impact on the most vulnerable populations<\/span><\/span>. <\/span>In this context, the European Union\u2019s economic decisions are decisive in determining whether these harms are prevented or merely managed once they have already occurred<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the coming months, the EU will negotiate the new <\/strong><\/span>Multiannual Financial Framework<\/strong> (MFF)<\/span> for the 2028\u20132034 period<\/span>. This long-term budget sets spending ceilings and political priorities for a seven-year period<\/strong><\/span>. Beyond the <\/span>nominal increase<\/span>, its design determines whether Europe chooses to <\/span>anticipate risks<\/span> that are already affecting population health or continues to allocate resources to managing the consequences once the damage is difficult to reverse<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Against this backdrop, <\/span>Salud por Derecho<\/span><\/strong> has analysed the budget proposal<\/strong> in the report <\/span>Climate action, health, and the European budget: recommendations for the new Multiannual Financial Framework<\/span><\/i><\/a>, published today<\/span>. The analysis shows that the new financial framework does not sufficiently reflect the real impacts of the climate crisis and maintains an approach that prioritises crisis management over prevention<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The consequences of this lack of anticipation are already visible across Europe<\/span>. During the summer of 2024 alone, an estimated <\/span>62,774 deaths<\/span><\/strong> were attributable to heat<\/strong> in Europe<\/span>. Mortality was 46.7% higher among women and more than three times higher among people aged 75 and over<\/span>. This situation is compounded by widespread exposure to air pollution, as 95% of the European Union\u2019s urban population continues to breathe air with pollution levels<\/strong> above the recommendations<\/strong> of the World Health Organization<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Environmental degradation also translates into increasing pressure on health systems<\/span>. The <\/span>European Investment Bank<\/span> estimates that climate change will increase demand for healthcare services by 0.5% per year, resulting in an additional 500 million hospital stays<\/strong>, 120 million emergency visits and 380 million outpatient consultations<\/span>. However, health remains largely absent from the <\/span>EU’s financing architecture<\/span>, with no systematic impact assessments and no clear mechanisms to anticipate these effects<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The European Commission\u2019s proposal sets a budget of <\/strong><\/span>\u20ac1.98 trillion<\/span><\/strong> for the 2028\u20132034 period and raises the expenditure ceiling to around <\/span>1.26% of EU gross national income<\/span>. However, a significant share of this increase will not finance new policies, but rather the <\/span>repayment of the debt<\/span> generated by the Next Generation EU programme<\/span>. Moreover, once inflation is taken into account, the real fiscal space for investment is smaller than the figures suggest<\/strong><\/span>. From a public-health perspective, the key question is not only how much the budget increases, but whether its design enables the prevention of health risks that are already <\/span>intensifying<\/span>.<\/p>\n

In this regard, the <\/span>35% climate earmark<\/span><\/strong> proposed<\/strong> by the European Commission is insufficient and weaker than it appears<\/span>. As highlighted in the report, this percentage is calculated on an incomplete basis, as it <\/span>excludes defence and security spending<\/span>, thereby reducing its real scope<\/span>. In addition, the proposal removes the specific <\/strong><\/span>10% biodiversity<\/strong> spending target<\/span> included in the current framework and <\/span>dilutes the LIFE programme<\/span><\/strong> as an independent instrument, despite it being the only EU programme fully dedicated to climate, the environment and <\/span>zero-pollution objectives<\/span>. Taken together, these decisions weaken the budget\u2019s capacity to steer investment towards prevention and the reduction of climate-related risks<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The analysis also highlights a clear contradiction<\/span>. In 2023, <\/span>fossil-fuel subsidies<\/span> in the European Union amounted to <\/strong><\/span>\u20ac111 billion<\/span><\/strong>, while the budget continues to allow support for highly polluting activities<\/span>. At the same time, meeting climate objectives is estimated to require additional annual investments close to <\/span>2% of EU GDP<\/span>, and a just transition would require around <\/span>\u20ac1 trillion<\/span>\u2014approximately 50% of the EU budget<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

The design of the new Multiannual Financial Framework also fails to adequately integrate the <\/span>social gradient<\/span> of climate impacts<\/span>. In the absence of specific <\/span>just-transition instruments<\/span> or binding equity-oriented allocations, there is a risk that EU-funded climate action will not reach those most exposed to heat, pollution and <\/strong><\/span>social vulnerability<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

From Salud por Derecho, we argue that the European budget must be clearly oriented towards prevention. This implies increasing climate ambition<\/strong>, reinstating binding biodiversity targets, maintaining dedicated instruments<\/strong> such as LIFE and a Just Transition Fund, and incorporating mandatory Health Impact Assessments for all programmes financed with EU funds.<\/p>\n

The 2028\u20132034 European budget can either become a tool for prevention and health protection in the face of the climate crisis, or entrench a model that perpetuates avoidable harm and deepens inequalities<\/span>. Placing health at the centre of the Multiannual Financial Framework<\/strong> is a necessary condition for responding fairly and effectively to the challenges that are already affecting the lives and well-being of millions of people across Europe<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Here you can read the full analysis (or download it at this link<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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The climate crisis is already one of the main threats to public health in Europe. 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