EU Insight 02 October 2026

Brussels, 2 October 2026

EU STEPS UP ACTION ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND CANCER

The Commission launched the first EU Screening Week together with a proposed Council recommendation on cardiovascular health checks as part of the Safe Hearts Plan. It aims to cut premature cardiovascular mortality by 25% by 2035. The text encourages Member States to expand access to heart‑health checks and improve early detection of risk factors. In parallel, the Commission opened a consultation on fair access to financial services for cancer survivors, to inform work on a ‘right to be forgotten’ so that past diagnoses no longer affect access to products like mortgage insurance after a defined period. In the same week, the Parliament’s health committee called for at least €2.5 billion in dedicated cancer funding in the next long‑term EU budget.

COMMISSION PROPOSES NEW EU CRITICAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR FIRST RESPONDERS

The Commission has proposed an EU critical communication system to link first responders across the EU and Schengen area. National systems used by police, firefighters and emergency medical services are currently not interoperable, which can limit coordination during cross‑border emergencies. The new system would enable the real‑time exchange of voice, data, video and location information through a single secure device, including where conventional mobile networks are unavailable. It would be supported by an EU‑level network monitoring centre and a separate security monitoring centre, while Member States retain control over their own infrastructure. The system is due to be rolled out gradually from 2030, once Parliament and Council have agreed the proposal.

COUNCIL MOVES AHEAD ON DEFENCE PROJECTS AND SPACE THREAT RESPONSE

The Council approved the first five European defence projects of common interest, covering drones and counter‑drone systems, maritime and seabed defence, space capabilities, integrated air and missile defence, and security along the EU’s eastern flank. The projects, developed under the European Defence Industry Programme, will allow participating countries to jointly develop critical capabilities that are difficult to deliver nationally and are now eligible for initial EU funding. In parallel, the Council strengthened the EU space threat response architecture, a mechanism to coordinate responses to hostile or irresponsible behaviour in space. The revised architecture sets out operational provisions to monitor, alert and trigger a rapid EU response, including a space security toolbox and the possibility for the High Representative to adopt a provisional response subject to Council confirmation.

COMMISSION INCREASES EU FUNDING FOR RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

The Commission has amended the 2026‑2027 Horizon Europe work programme to add €500 million, taking the two‑year budget to around €14.8 billion. The update introduces new calls focused on a nature‑positive economy and on better connecting research with investment. It also announced more than €210 million in additional funding for Marie Skłodowska‑Curie Actions, allowing over 700 extra postdoctoral and doctoral researchers to be supported in Europe. In parallel, the Commission published its 2026 Science, Research and Innovation Performance report, which finds that while the EU remains a global leader in scientific output, it lags in scaling up strategic technologies and turning research into market applications. The report stresses the need to close the R&D investment gap and improve the conditions for innovation to grow within Europe.

COUNCIL ADOPTS NEW EU PHARMACEUTICAL FRAMEWORK

EU governments have approved a major overhaul of the EU’s pharmaceutical rules. The reform aims to improve access to safe and affordable medicines while maintaining incentives for innovation. Companies placing a new medicine on the market will benefit from eight years of data protection and at least one year of market protection, with the total period extendable up to eleven years in certain cases. A separate measure introduces transferable exclusivity vouchers to reward companies that develop priority antibiotics against resistant bacteria, granting one of their other products an extra year of market protection. However, the voucher cannot be used on a ‘blockbuster’ medicine with average annual sales above €490 million over the past four years. The package now goes to the European Parliament for adoption.

COMING UP NEXT WEEK

• 5-8 October: European Parliament’s plenary session. On the agenda: AGILE, INSPIRE, Affordable Housing Act, children and digital, Multiannual Financial Framework, human rights.
• 6 October: College of Commissioners. On the agenda: Pre-enlargement policy reviews and Revision of the Standardisation Regulation.
• 8 October: Eurogroup. On the agenda: Savings and Investment Union, public finances and impacts of energy markets on the euro area economy.
• 8-9 October: Informal meeting of ministers for development.
• 9 October: Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN). On the agenda: Savings and Investments Union, banking competitiveness, Ukraine, and taxation.