Vigenin: Health security to be protected priority in EU budget

“The ability to respond to crises, the protection of citizens and the resilience of European societies – all this depends to a large extent on health security in the European Union”, said Bulgarian MEP from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament Kristian Vigenin, who participated in a debate in Brussels on “Health security as a political priority: how the Multiannual Financial Framework can strengthen the EU’s resilience”. It was organised by the Kangaroo Group, an association of representatives of institutions, academia and business, set up to strengthen European unity.

In his speech, Vigenin pointed out that the next Multiannual Financial Framework will be decisive on whether Europe will become a true Union of preparedness or will remain vulnerable to the next challenges. “The proposal for a budget of around €2 trillion for the period 2028-2034 is an important step, but its real purchasing power could drop significantly. This means only one thing: health security must remain a visible and protected priority,” the MEP noted.

Vigenin highlighted three main highlights from the perspective of Bulgaria and Eastern Europe: “There must be equal access to medical remedies – all citizens, in all regions of the EU, must receive timely and equal care. We need to rely on decentralised production in more European regions to build real sustainability – production capacity cannot be concentrated in just a few countries. I believe there must be support for peripheral and border regions, because that is where external shocks are felt first.”

The Bulgarian MEP consistently conducts initiatives and participates in forums where the ways to build a stable health system in the member states are discussed, which provides equal access to medicines and treatment for all European citizens.