C-EHRN statement on the elimination of EU4Health operating grants for civil society organisations
On 23 July 2025, more than six months later than expected, the European Commission finally published the EU4Health Work Programme for 2025, with a total budget of €571 million. This significant delay created profound uncertainty and financial distress for NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs) in the health sector, many of which had been waiting for months for confirmation of continued operating grant funding.
Operating grants are a vital source of core funding for EU-wide civil society networks. While they represent only a small portion of the overall EU4Health budget, their impact on the ground has been substantial. These grants have enabled civil society to carry out essential work in health promotion, policy monitoring, capacity-building, and advocacy, especially in support of vulnerable and underserved communities.
Shockingly, when the 2025 work programme was finally released, it became clear that the Commission had unilaterally decided to eliminate operating grants altogether. This move disregards the essential contributions of civil society over the years and delivers a serious blow to organisations that have worked tirelessly to advance public health, uphold EU values, and protect marginalised populations.
Although the Commission asserts that civil society can still participate in the EU4Health Programme, the elimination of operating grants removes the primary funding mechanism that supported sustained civic engagement in health policy. As a result, civil society networks are no longer in a position to effectively fulfil their core missions of promoting fundamental rights, democratic participation, and public accountability. This is not only deeply concerning, it actively undermines civil society and accelerates the erosion of civic space at a time when it is already under increasing threat across Europe and globally.
Between 2018 and 2024, C-EHRN received operating grant funding that accounted for over 60% of our annual budget. This support was essential to strengthening our network, gathering critical data on harm reduction and drug policy trends, and contributing to the evidence base needed for informed, health-based drug policies across Europe. It also allowed us to build capacity among our members and engage in meaningful advocacy at national and EU levels. The loss of this funding critically undermines the sustainability of this work and threatens to undo years of progress.
C-EHRN is not alone. More than 30 health NGOs across Europe are affected by this decision. Many signed multi-annual Framework Partnership Agreements in 2024, based on the assumption that funding would continue through 2025 and 2026. These organisations planned their activities accordingly and are now left without the operational support they were led to expect.
This decision must be seen in a broader context. Across Europe, civil society organisations working in health and human rights face mounting pressures. Harm reduction services remain chronically underfunded, and marginalised groups, including people who use drugs, migrants, LGBTQI individuals, sex workers, and people experiencing homelessness, continue to face stigma, discrimination, and systemic exclusion. The shrinking of civic space and the rise of authoritarian and populist politics only deepen these challenges.
The elimination of operating grants further undermines democratic governance and social justice in the EU. It jeopardises the sustainability of essential public health services and sends a troubling signal about how the EU values civil society. Moreover, this decision directly contradicts the Union’s stated commitments to democracy, transparency, and meaningful citizen engagement.
C-EHRN urges the European Commission to reconsider this damaging course of action and engage in genuine, constructive dialogue with civil society stakeholders. Sustainable and predictable funding for CSOs is not optional, it is essential to uphold democratic governance, safeguard human rights, and promote public health.
We remain in strong solidarity with other European civil society networks and reaffirm our commitment to defending civic space and advocating for robust, long-term funding mechanisms that recognise the indispensable role of civil society in building a healthier, more inclusive, and democratic Europe.