Respiratory diseases are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Europe, affecting millions of people and placing a substantial burden on individuals, healthcare systems and national economies. Despite this impact, respiratory health remains significantly under-prioritised in EU funding and policy frameworks.
Over 80 million people are affected by respiratory diseases in the European region, yet respiratory health receives only a fraction of available health funding and lacks a dedicated allocation within the EU budget. At the same time, demographic changes, environmental pressures and persistent health inequalities are driving an increasing prevalence of respiratory conditions.
The estimated societal cost of nine major lung conditions in the WHO European Region is €1.4 trillion annually. Reducing respiratory disease through prevention, early diagnosis and effective management can help avoid a portion of this burden.
The EU’s clearly limited expenditure on prevention seems to ignore the very large cost-benefit ratio that prevention measures and harm reduction can have on the burden or cost of respiratory disease. This investment only includes direct investment, such as vaccination, but respiratory prevention needs to be embedded in all policies impacting health.
Without targeted investment, Europe risks falling behind in prevention, care, innovation and research, while the human and economic cost of lung diseases continues to rise. Investment in respiratory health should not be viewed as a healthcare expense alone. It is an investment in healthier populations, stronger economies, greater workforce productivity and more resilient healthcare systems. We call on European policymakers, funders, healthcare leaders, researchers and civil society to recognise respiratory health as a strategic investment priority.
Investment should support the full patient pathway, from prevention and early diagnosis to treatment, rehabilitation and long-term disease management. It should also foster innovation, strengthen health system capacity and support the generation of evidence needed to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities.
Investment in respiratory health as an investment in society
Dedicated funding for respiratory health: Respiratory health should receive dedicated consideration within EU funding programmes and financial instruments. Funding priorities should reflect the growing burden of lung diseases and support coordinated action across prevention, care, research and innovation.
Investing in prevention: Investment in prevention delivers some of the highest returns for patients and healthcare systems. Resources should support initiatives that reduce exposure to risk factors, improve air quality, promote respiratory health literacy and encourage healthy behaviours throughout life.
Supporting equitable access to care: Funding should be directed towards reducing disparities in healthcare access and outcomes across Europe. Every person living with a respiratory disease should have access to timely diagnosis, high-quality treatment, specialised care and appropriate support services regardless of where they live.
Accelerating innovation and digital transformation: Investment is needed to scale innovative approaches that improve patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency. This includes digital health technologies, telemedicine, artificial intelligence (AI), integrated care models and data-driven solutions that help deliver more personalised and effective respiratory care.
Building resilient healthcare systems: Respiratory health investment should strengthen the ability of healthcare systems to respond to current and future challenges. The lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of robust respiratory healthcare infrastructure, workforce capacity, surveillance systems and emergency preparedness.
Evidence shows that every euro invested in health can generate up to €14 in broader economic benefits.
Measuring impact and accountability: Investment decisions should be supported by robust data and evidence. European and national authorities should monitor outcomes, assess the return on investment of respiratory health initiatives and ensure transparency in how resources are allocated and used.
Active lives are enabled: The economic potential of better treatment for respiratory disease is huge. The impact of disease on people’s lives should be proven by better respiratory health economics data showing the economic value of good working and schooling lives. This should help drive investment in prevention measures, with meaningful Return on Investment (ROI) figures enabling policy change. The legal protection of lung patients should also be addressed, where disability is often the only legal avenue to protect rights.
Factors that affect working and school lives should be tracked in order to influence policy changes. The more direct the relationship between policy and economic impact the more likely it is to have impact.