Biannual briefing – July 2026

This briefing covers the second half of 2025 and sets out the priorities on the European Union (EU) agenda that have an impact on Member States’ health care systems.

• The first part outlines the legislative proposals put forward by the European Commission in the areas of health security, cardiovascular health, biotechnology and medical devices, as well as, more generally, health-related research and innovation.

• The second part describes the priorities targeted by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, setting out the legislative dossiers worked on in the ‘Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs’ (EPSCO) configuration dedicated to the health sector, as well as in other Council configurations.

• The third part looks ahead to the first half of 2026 and provides an overview of the programme announced by the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU.
  

This series of biannual briefings focuses on the strategies proposed by the European Commission in the health sector, as well as in related sectors that may have an impact on the organisation and funding of health care, such as social and employment policies, economic and research policies, the internal market, etc. It also examines the positions and priorities of the Member States, reviewing the work carried out by each rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU.