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OPINION (COM(2025)0555 – C100165/2025 – 2025/0555(COD))

On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing the European Competitiveness Fund ('ECF’), including the specific programme for defence research and innovation activities, repealing Regulations (EU) 2021/522, (EU) 2021/694, (EU) 2021/697, (EU) 2021/783, and amending Regulations (EU) 2021/696, (EU) 2023/588, (EU) [EDIP]

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Committee on Public Health · Rapporteur: Radan Kanev

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The Committee on Public Health gives its opinion on the proposed regulation establishing the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), which includes a defence research and innovation programme. It proposes amendments to keep the ECF's health window focused on public health, biotech and bioeconomy, with a dedicated envelope for prevention, preparedness, health innovation and health-sector SMEs. The amendments add new health objectives and earmarked amounts, strengthen medicines and medical countermeasure resilience, digital health and the link from research to production. They also add health and biodefence elements to the defence, security and space parts of the Fund.

Committee position. The Committee on Public Health proposes a limited number of amendments to the ECF proposal to keep its health window focused on public health, biotech and bioeconomy, with earmarked funding, governance safeguards and a preserved excellence-based research pipeline.

Key points

  1. The opinion aims to ensure the ECF strengthens Europe's health, biotech and bioeconomy capacity without diluting public-health objectives, and keeps the excellence-based research pipeline.
  2. It proposes a dedicated earmarked envelope for prevention, preparedness, health innovation and health-sector SMEs, preserving actions inherited from EU4Health, HERA Invest and the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
  3. It asks that programming rest on science-based evidence and structured competitiveness assessments, and that grants be reserved for actions without viable revenue streams, such as civil and military health protection.
  4. It adds new health objectives to Article 3(2)(b), covering disease prevention, health promotion, cross-border health threats, medicines and medical devices, stockpiling, a medical reserve, health data, cancer and global health initiatives.
  5. It sets amounts under Article 4: EUR 10 050 000 000 for the new health objectives, at least EUR 5 500 000 000 for health competitiveness, and minimums for digital health and military health.
  6. It requires a dedicated sub-objective on 'health biotechnology' within biotechnology support, and support for EU manufacturing of vaccines, antimicrobials and other medical countermeasures.
  7. It adds health, biotech and bioeconomy value chains to the science-based assessments, and makes the ECF InvestEU Instrument the privileged implementation option.
  8. It strengthens the Scale-up facility to use venture and growth capital, equity and quasi-equity for high-risk sectors such as life sciences and biotechnology.
  9. It adds health and biodefence elements to defence objectives, including dual-use medical countermeasures, military health readiness, cybersecurity in hospitals and CBRN countermeasures.
  10. It adds health and civil protection to civil industrial security, and public health to critical infrastructure, digital public services and cybersecurity.
  11. It creates a sub-committee specifically on health within the Health, Biotech, Agriculture and Bioeconomy Committee.

Who is affected

  • Health-sector SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups, which would get dedicated support and earmarked funding.
  • National health authorities and health stakeholders, reassured that agreed health priorities will be financed consistently.
  • The pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device sectors, which would receive resilience and manufacturing support.
  • Member States and regions with lower investment or implementation capacity, which would get widening measures and technical assistance.
  • The EU outermost regions and overseas countries and territories, whose specific characteristics may be taken into account.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 20 393 000 000 for the specific objectives in Article 3(2), point (b).
  • EUR 10 050 000 000 in current prices for the specific objectives in Article 3(2), point (b)(-1).
  • EUR 2 500 000 000 for point (b)(-1 k) and EUR 400 000 000 for point (b)(-1 l).
  • At least EUR 5 500 000 000 in current prices for the specific objectives in Article 3(2), point (b)(1).
  • EUR 51 493 000 000 for Article 3(2), point (c), with a minimum of EUR 2 000 000 000 for digital health.
  • EUR 125 204 000 000 for Article 3(2), point (d), with a minimum of EUR 5 200 000 000 for military health and health preparedness.
  • Technology Readiness Level 6 or above for biotechnology innovations from Horizon Europe-funded research.