EuroHealthNet’s vision to eradicate poverty by 2050
Addressing health inequalities at the centre of the European Anti-Poverty Strategy
Over one in five people in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2024. This is despite the EU commitment to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion by at least 15 million, including 5 million children, by 2030 and the new ambition to eradicate poverty by 2050.
There is a vicious cycle between poverty and poor health: social inequalities have a negative impact on health, and poor health increases the risks of poverty and social exclusion. But poverty does not come only at a cost to health and wellbeing. Its economic cost is substantial, too.
Welfare losses due to poverty are estimated at 9.4 percent of European Union GDP each year. Clearly, social inequalities in health are a barrier to Europe’s competitive edge, undermine the core EU values of social cohesion, prosperity and wellbeing, and they need to be tackled.
Eradicating poverty will be achieved only if the interlinkages between poverty and health inequalities are acknowledged, and health inequalities are properly addressed in the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy. To this end, the upcoming EU Anti-Poverty Strategy needs to place the reduction of health inequalities amongst its core objectives. Clear and strong actions are needed for health promotion, disease prevention, improving access to healthcare for all, with targeted support for those in higher need.
Eradicating poverty will be achieved only if the interlinkages between poverty and health inequalities are acknowledged, and health inequalities are properly
addressed through the upcoming EU Anti-Poverty Strategy.
In this policy brief, EuroHealthNet sets out its vision to eradicate poverty in the EU by 2050. Through four concrete recommendations, it aims to ensure a successful EU Anti-Poverty Strategy built on action to address health inequalities.
- Embed health as a fundamental human right and a core enabling factor
- Address health inequalities as a crucial policy for tackling the root causes of poverty and social
exclusion. - Substantially increase and ring-fence funds for addressing the root causes of poverty in the future Multiannual Financial Framework
- Embed the Anti-Poverty Strategy in the Semester process and set binding intermediary targets for 2030 and 2040 to achieve the 2050 goals of eradicating poverty and social exclusion
Policy brief
EuroHealthNet’s vision to eradicate poverty by 2050
Addressing health inequalities at the centre of the European Anti-Poverty Strategy
