European doctors sign the Rome Charter: end budget constraints on healthcare.

In an international context where new US policies are requiring European countries to increase defense spending, there is strong concern about cuts or structural reforms in other sectors, including healthcare, or a sharp increase in public debt. The target set for NATO countries' rearmament is 5% of GDP, meaning that in Italy, annual spending would increase from the current €45 billion to a staggering €145 billion in 2035. This figure is higher than current public healthcare spending, which in 2024 was approximately €138.7 billion, a 5.8% increase compared to 2023. The president of the Italian Federation of Medical Associations (Fnomceo), Filippo Anelli , made the calculations when he hosted colleagues from France, Germany, Greece, Portugal, and Spain to sign the "Charter of Rome: Health as a Strategic Investment." The goal is to activate a "health resilience clause" to allow EU member states to allocate additional resources to chronic disease prevention outside of European budget constraints. This is necessary given the data presented by Chris Brown , head of the WHO European Office for Investing in Health and Development, which indicates that by 2050, Europe will have over 65 million people over 85, and three older people for every two young people. Without a health strategy focused on active aging, welfare systems are likely to collapse.

The document affirms a fundamental principle: health must be recognized as a strategic investment for economic and social development, not just as an individual right. According to Censis data, every euro invested in public healthcare generates almost two euros in production value. For this reason, Fnomceo (National Federation of Italian Health) is calling on the European Council and Commission to include healthcare spending in strategic recommendations for national budgets, to expand the EU4Health program, and to strengthen resources for prevention, screening, and management of chronic diseases. "We believe," said the president of Fnomceo, Filippo Anelli - that health must be considered a strategic priority for our European countries on a par with security, balanced with civil needs. European doctors propose considering healthcare spending as a strategic investment for the future of our societies and urge the Council and the Commission, during negotiations on the medium-term budget plan, to introduce a "health resilience clause" that allows Member States to allocate additional resources to prevention without violating European parameters.

Health Minister Orazio Schillaci also considers prevention a priority. "It truly represents a turning point for our national healthcare system," he emphasized, "to ensure it remains universal and free for all. We must reduce the number of future sick people, and we can do so by focusing on prevention. And we are working on this together with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Minister Giorgetti to ensure that healthcare is finally considered an investment and no longer an expense." A few weeks ago, the minister noted, the first-ever General Assembly on Prevention was held in Italy, during which the need to invest more in this area, exceeding 5% of the National Health Fund, was reiterated. "We are working on this with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, also leveraging the new European budget rules, because I am convinced that prevention is an investment and not a cost for all European countries. We must not forget that a healthy population is an active population that contributes to the wealth of society as a whole." Schillaci, on the sidelines, announced that he will meet with Giorgetti, "like every year," at the end of July. "I won't go into the specifics of the percentage of the Health Fund to be allocated to this purpose," he concluded, "but money is needed for prevention and staff."