VIENNA, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- United European Gastroenterology (UEG), representing more than 50,000 digestive health professionals across Europe and beyond, calls on EU institutions to explicitly recognise digestive diseases as a priority within the EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034 and to secure dedicated investment through FP10, the EU's next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, and EU health funding instruments.
Digestive diseases affect around 332 million Europeans, yet remain under-recognised in EU funding, despite driving major mortality, disability, inequalities and economic loss. Several digestive cancers-the leading causes of cancer death-share preventable risk factors, underscoring the need for EU investment in prevention and early detection.
According to UEG White Book 2, digestive diseases cost EU economies around €25 billion in inpatient care (˜0.12% of GDP) and €89 billion in indirect productivity losses. Even modest reductions in premature mortality could generate billions in annual savings-making prevention, innovation and research strategic investments in Europe's economic resilience.
"Digestive health is a critical societal and economic priority, and not an isolated medical problem", said Joost PH Drenth, UEG President. "Its scale and ballooning costs warrant explicit prioritisation in the next EU long-term budget. Targeted investment through FP10 and the post-2027 EU4Health program is pivotal to drive prevention, strengthen health system resilience, and translate research into real-world health outcomes."
UEG welcomes plans to establish FP10 as a self-standing programme but regrets the absence of a ring-fenced health fund for digestive diseases and calls on EU policymakers to:
- Make digestive diseases an FP10 priority, with dedicated calls on prevention, digestive cancers, liver and immune-mediated diseases, microbiome-nutrition-metabolic research and implementation science.
- Launch a Digestive Health Research & Innovation Flagship (FP10) to coordinate cross-border research and accelerate translation into practice.
- Build EU digestive health data infrastructure, aligned with the EHDS regulation, including federated registries and real-world evidence platforms.
- Protect public-interest research and academic clinical trials enabling sustained collaboration.
- Invest in prevention and inequality reduction, embedding digestive health within EU resilience and competitiveness strategies.
"Decisions in 2026 will shape Europe's health and research landscape for the next decade," said Alexander Hann, Chair of UEG's Public Affairs Group. "Embedding digestive health in FP10 and the MFF 2028-2034 is a cost-effective investment-improving patient outcomes while strengthening EU competitiveness."
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