The European Year for Development: Health

Briefing 26-03-2015

Although enjoying the highest possible standard of health is a human right, millions of people suffer from preventable and curable diseases. The Millennium Development Goals strongly emphasised health, leading to increased investment in the health sector. Major progress has been made in reducing child and maternal mortality, and in combatting communicable diseases, but several regions will not meet the health targets. The Ebola outbreak has drawn attention to the need for international cooperation in health matters. The European Parliament is very conscious of the lessons learnt from the Ebola crisis. The Sustainable Development Goals are likely to include new health considerations and to propose universal health coverage. Promoting and supporting equitable access to health care is a focus of EU development cooperation. EU aid in areas such as nutrition, water and sanitation and climate change also improves health. Parliament considers health a fundamental right and has called for clear financial thresholds to ensure that sufficient EU aid goes to health and education.