European Union Health Policy

Health is an essential pillar of the social contract between citizens and the state. Health, more than any other policy portfolio, represents the 'human face' of the European Union (EU) and is thus central to legitimising the wider European project. Although its legal mandate to act in the field of health is limited, the EU has a vast and important health policy. This book documents the varied and dynamic governance of health in the EU, focusing on the EU's health objectives and how these are pursued.
The volume offers a detailed overview of the development of EU health policy, and five in-depth case studies of specific policy fields. These reveal the enduring effectiveness of soft law initiatives, as well as the proliferation of hard law instruments. Post-COVID innovations - namely the European Health Union and the Recovery and Resilience Facility - continue these dynamics and are accompanied by a remarkable, if delicate, political commitment to strengthening the EU's role in health. Assessing these developments in the context of longer-term governance trends, the book argues that contemporary EU health policy remains vulnerable to political re-prioritisation, reliant on policy entrepreneurialism, and in want of a coherent central strategy.
In exploring its substance and governance, the book illustrates the scope and influence of EU health policy, and informs critique of the EU's significant role in shaping health policies - and therefore health outcomes - within its member states and beyond. It offers an accessible introduction to this important policy field for both academic and policy audiences, and contributes a timely overview of a little-researched EU policy field.