Minister Jo Etienne Abela Highlights EU Health Funding At European Summit

The Minister for Health and Active Ageing, Jo Etienne Abela, addressed the European Health Summit 2025, titled “NextGen Simplified: Rethinking Health for Tomorrow”, where he highlighted the importance of EU investment in health and the challenges ahead in ensuring sustainable healthcare services.

Speaking during a panel with various stakeholders, Minister Abela noted that the current EU budget, covering a seven year period, has reached €8 billion.

He explained that this funding supports the ongoing work of the European Medicines Agency, which is responsible for the registration and assessment of medicines across Europe.

He also underlined the crucial role of the European Centre for Disease Control, which focuses on monitoring infectious diseases, prevention, and consultation with all Member States.

The Minister added that the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety together with the Directorate General HERA carry out essential strategic work that includes preparing guidelines for critical situations.

Minister Abela emphasised the value of European funds in strengthening infrastructure, research, and training.

He reiterated that the provision of healthcare remains the responsibility of each individual country, but argued that greater cooperation between Member States is vital. This, he said, allows smaller nations to benefit more fully and ensures that key innovations reach all citizens.

When the discussion moved to cancer, Dr Abela stated that the Maltese Government will continue to expand investment in prevention and screening programmes for colorectal, prostate, breast, lung, and pancreatic cancer.

He expressed optimism that Europe is making steady progress in the fight against cancer and said he hopes that advances in research on pancreatic, lung, and urinary cancers will lead to similar achievements seen in other cancer types.

#MaltaDaily