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Supporting EU member states reforming health systems & creating a health resources hub
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The multi-country project “EU Resources Hub for sustainable investing in health” funded by the EU through the Technical Support Instrument has come to an end. For more than two years, it has supported Austria, Belgium and Slovenia getting access to EU funding for health systems reforms through a ‘learning by doing’ approach and testing the services of a pilot EU Health Hub.
Public health spending has risen in most EU Member States and represents a significant and increasing share of total government expenditure, aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the EU provides a wide range of funds and tools for supporting health systems and their transformation, Member States often struggle to access these funds and combine efficiently the use of the different funds and tools with their national health needs. In addition, public health authorities often struggle to demonstrate the effectiveness of existing policies and their financing needs when advocating for additional resources.
To address these challenges, the DG REFORM commissioned Expertise France to implement in 2022 this project funded through the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), aiming at supporting three European Union Member States in their efforts to better finance structural health reforms through national and European financing. Austria, Belgium and Slovenia joined forces to be better equipped to access and use EU funds for health and health systems priorities tailored to their needs; test the concept of an EU health advisory service, but also to support Member States in designing, implementing and funding health investments and reforms.
Making the case for health investments
The project was structured around two key workstreams. Workstream 1 specifically focused on building the capacity of Austria, Belgium, and Slovenia to make a compelling case for public investment in health, by demonstrating the clear socioeconomic benefits of past and future investments. One activity under this workstream was the institutionalization of analytical tools and approaches, accompanied by the development of a guide/toolkit for their long-term use. After piloting these tools in each country's individual context, workshops were held to gather feedback on their effectiveness, discuss lessons learned, and plan next steps. These efforts aimed at leading to the institutionalization of these tools, reinforcing their continued use in health policy planning.
A toolbox including guides & toolkits contextualised to each countries pilot cases has also been produced.
The project aimed to support capacity building to advocate for more and better public investment in health at both national and EU levels. Mobilising the expertise of SEO Amsterdam Economics, it also enabled to explore different tools and tailored approaches that could be used to make the case for health investment in partnership with the European Observatory for Health Systems and Policies.
The project produced a series of deliverables, including a policy brief and toolboxes/guides adapted to each countries pilot cases. This policy brief, prepared as a workstream 1 final output of this TSI project, is designed for decision-makers in EU Member States, and it offers guidance on developing evidence-based healthcare policies within an institutional environment that values technical tools and approaches. These tools/guides, such as Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), Health Impact Assessments (HIA), and expenditure projections, are essential when advocating for health investments and reforms.
Laying the foundations for a health resources hub
This project resulted in the production of a comprehensive report that provides an in-depth analysis of the Hub, drawing on lessons learned from the pilot initiatives conducted under Workstream 2 and the insights gained from a peer review by a group of high-level public officials. These efforts culminated in the selection of the most ambitious future scenario for the Hub: the vision of an “EU Health Resources Hub” serving as a one-stop-shop for support and advice at the EU level for all Member States.
The report establishes a foundation for proposing an expansion of the pilot Hub’s services, with the ultimate goal of creating a sustainable, centralized one-stop-shop at the EU level that is readily accessible to all Member States. It underscores the urgent need for European countries to invest in health system reforms and highlights the critical role a dedicated "EU Health Resources Hub" can play in facilitating this process. This forward-looking vision positions the Hub as a key enabler of impactful and sustainable health system transformations across Europe.
This report was developed by Expertise France's international team of experts Its preparation has benefited from the valuable contributions of, and close cooperation with, the partnership of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the three beneficiary Member States participating in the Hub pilot project, and the support of DG REFORM.
The project "Resources Hub for sustainable investing in health" is funded by the European Union.
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