11.L. Round table: Fiscal measures for building resilient European health systems
Authors:   Organised by: Ecorys, EUPHA-PHPP, -ECO,   Chair persons: João Vasco Santos (EUPHA-ECO), Marleen Bekker (EUPHA-PHPP)
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Currently, over 100 million European citizens are affected by obesity and non-communicable diseases. These health conditions impact individuals and society economically as well as socially. Therefore, an increasing number of Member States has introduced taxes on foods high in fat, sugar, or salt. However, divergent national fiscal health measures can lead to market distortion or fraudulent activities, revealing that, although the responsibility for implementing fiscal measures lies with national governments, health systems of different Member States are much interlinked. The increasing health risks for European citizens and its broader impact underline the importance of resilience in European health systems more than ever before, calling for early response and effective concrete actions from both EU institutions and national governments. Additionally, the topic of resilient health systems currently ranks high on the European agenda, with the Belgian Presidency promoting health system preparedness and early response and health care strengthening as one of their six priorities. The European Commission will also continue its work on this issue for the next five years. The EU has already taken steps in this matter, such as the launch of the European Health Union and the creation of HERA. However, in order to preserve a healthy society, the EU must further develop in this regard. Therefore, this round table discussion will focus on the question of how fiscal measures in Member States can contribute to resilient health systems. It aims to generate ideas on how Ministries of Health can contribute to resilient health systems via fiscal measures compatible with European Community law that promote health and prevent disease. Panellists from the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the Hungarian Ministry of Health and Ecorys, a research-based consultancy, will provide diverse perspectives on the topic. The added value of the round table is laying out possible ways of how both the EU and Member States can contribute to enhancing the resilience of European health systems. In the discussion, knowledge is derived from various research projects, such as Ecorys’ study for DG TAXUD on health taxes, their study for the Dutch Ministry of Finance on sugar taxes, and their literature study on sugar taxation and VAT reduction on fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, as an example of alternative funding mechanisms for resilient health systems, the Hungarian approach to health taxes will be reviewed, since a portion of the tax revenue from their public health tax is used to finance public health initiatives. From a policy perspective, the round table will aid in formulating recommendations for improving the resilience of EU health systems for the next five years.

Key messages
• Unhealthy foods and drinks consumption poses significant health risks, impacting economy and society, and requiring evidence-based fiscal measures as part of comprehensive measures.
• The round table provides public health stakeholders the opportunity to generate recommendations for improving the resilience of EU health systems for the next five years.

Speakers/Panelists
Kremlin Wickramasinghe
Division of Country Health Programs, WHO/Europe, Denmark
Krisztina Biró
Ministry of Interior, State Secretariat for Health, Budapest, Hungary
Soila Karreinen
Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
Rana Orhan Pees
Ecorys, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Sara Cerdas
Former Member of the European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium