EATG endorses this letter by the EU4Health Civil Society Alliance calling on President Von der Leyen, Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner Piotr Serafin and Commissioner Michael McGrath to act with urgency: Publish the 2025 EU4Health operating grant call, restore and guarantee operating grant support for all FPA holders, with a disbursement calendar by 30 September 2025 and, engage with civil society to ensure transparency, participation, and administrative integrity in future funding cycles.
On 2 September 2025, a coalition of 25 health and patient advocacy civil society organisations submitted a formal complaint to the European Commission regarding the withholding of 2025 EU4Health operating grants.
Despite valid Framework Partnership Agreements (FPAs) for 2025-2026 signed in late 2024, no 2025 operating grant call has been published. Operating grants represented just about 1% of EU4Health in 2024, but are key in supporting the work of health CSOs. Their sudden disappearance, and the weakened predictability and stability of EU funding, jeopardises the very fabric of European cooperation in health policy.
CSA members therefore call on President Von der Leyen, Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner Piotr Serafin and Commissioner Michael McGrath to act with urgency:
- Publish the 2025 EU4Health operating grant call.
- Restore and guarantee operating grant support for all FPA holders, with a disbursement calendar by 30 September 2025.
- Engage with civil society to ensure transparency, participation, and administrative integrity in future funding cycles.
FOLLOW-UP PRESS RELEASE (22 September 2025):
Today, 25 health and patient advocacy organisations submitted a formal complaint to the European Ombudswoman regarding the 2025 EU4Health operating grant procedure for Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) holders.
The complaint follows unanswered outreach to the European Commission and HaDEA on September 2 of 2025. It raises three concerns:
- The absence of a 2025 operating-grant call despite signed FPAs in 2024
- Persistent administrative silence throughout 2025
- The use of informal “reputational-risk” guidance communicated in April 2025
Health organisations are requesting a clear, reasoned decision and a practical calendar to ensure continuity, as well as formal communication of any future procedural changes in line with the EU’s principles of good administration.
Source : EU4Health
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