EU Budget Risks Sidelining Pollution Action, Warn Health Groups

Following the proposal of the European Commission for the post-2027 EU long-term budget (Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034), the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) expresses serious concern over the insufficient action taken to address pollution and its related health impacts, including the phase-out of all fossil fuels subsidies.

The Commission’s proposal includes a spending target of 35% for climate and environment, based on six objectives which include pollution prevention and control. However, this target is inadequate to address climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Going forward with this unambitious target risks diluting already limited resources across an ever-growing list of priorities, undermining the EU’s health protection goals.At least 50% of the next EU budget should be allocated for climate, nature and zero pollution action, with 10% specifically for delivering on zero pollution commitments.

“The Commission’s proposal misses the chance to make investment in healthier people and more resilient societies a core part of the next EU budget,” said Claudio Lanza, Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer, Health and Climate at HEAL. “It is alarming that pollution – which leads to hundreds of billions in health costs annually – is not front and centre in this budget. The silence on an overdue roadmap on the phasing out of all fossil fuel subsidies underlines the EU Commission’s lukewarm approach to pollution reduction.”

Health experts are concerned about the lack of commitment on phasing out the public funding of all fossil fuels – especially fossil gas. The burning of fossil fuels is the leading contributor to the health burden from air pollution and to climate change. Yet public subsidies for fossil fuels persist. In 2023, Member States spent almost two times more in harmful fossil fuel subsidies (EUR 93 billion) than what would be necessary to close the investment gap in pollution prevention and control (EUR 58 billion). In its May 2025 resolution, MEPs had urged the EU Commission to come forward with a roadmap to phase out subsidies.

In recent decades, the EU LIFE programme has been instrumental in delivering pollution reduction and prevention for better health. HEAL is highly concerned about the proposed scrapping of the programme and urges MEPs to uphold LIFE as a standalone programme.

Health should be at the forefront of the upcoming budget negotiations as Europe is under unprecedented threat from climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Pollution alone causes 1 in 10 premature deaths in the EU. Air pollution costs hundreds of billions annually, endocrine disruptors add up to €163B, and over 47,000 people died from heat stress in the summer of 2023.