QUESTIONNAIRE TO IDENTIFY PREDISPOSING FACTORS AND BARRIES FOR
USING ESIF FOR HEALTH EQUITY
European Structural and Invest Funds (ESIF) can provide important opportunities for investing
in policies and actions that tackle socio-economic inequalities in health. However, despite the
availability of these funds there are many challenges to overcome during the application
process. Therefore it is important to unlock the potential that ESIF have as a funding framework
and ensure that what is available is in fact accessible.
This questionnaire aims to identify predisposing factors and barriers for using ESIF for possible
health equity projects (e.g. projects aiming to address health gaps between populations,
projects focused on socio-economic determinants, improving access to health services, health
promotion initiatives, helping vulnerable groups, projects for active and healthy aging,
deinstitutionalization and community based care).
Please look at the 4 inquiries below and mark with ☒ only those answers you find as relevant
for the question asked. Filling in the questionnaire will not take more than 5 minutes of your
time.
1.) What are the strengths that make health equity an investment for ESIF?
Health equity is a priority within the ESIF framework ☐
Health equity can be integrated within many other policy priorities and Operation Program
priorities ☐
The economic crisis has brought more visibility to social priorities like addressing health
inequities ☐
There is a shift in terms of ESIF programing away from mainstream health investments towards
social values around health ☐
2.) What are the opportunities for health equity to get funded by ESIF?
Ex-ante conditionality for health investments can bring health equity into discussion ☐
Health Technology Assessments can bring health equity into discussion ☐
Country Specific Recommendations can link health, health equity and ESIF ☐
ESIF technical assistance can contribute to building capacity to draft project proposals ☐
3.) What are the weaknesses of health equity as a project proposal using ESIF funding?
Reducing health inequalities takes more time than one ESIF cycle to produce change ☐
Domestic funding instruments can be accessed more easily ☐
State-aid and public procurement documentation are often required in applications ☐
1
Health and health equity is not an attractive language for EU project proposals ☐
4.) What are the major factors that can hinder/block the accessibility of ESIF?
Availability of pre-financing (or the lack of) ☐
Co-financing capacity of the health sector (or the lack of) ☐
Information on ESIF is too complex/ highly technical/ available from multiple sources ☐
Lack of cooperation and communication between policy sectors ☐
Highly bureaucratic and time consuming application procedures ☐
Frequently-changed regulatory context ☐
Capacity of managing authorities and regional offices to provide support (or the lack of) ☐
Ex-ante conditionality hinders proposals for health investments ☐
Health is not a priority for the ESIF framework ☐
5.) Any other strengths, weaknesses, opportunities or threats you would like to add?
Any comments you would like to make?
6.) How familiar are you with the new 2014- 2020 EU funding priorities for your country
and/or region?
Aware of the previous and new funding cycle ☐
Somewhat aware ☐
It is a new, unexplored area to me ☐
7.) Do you know any examples of good practices or projects addressing health inequalities
and funded by ESIF?
2
8.) General information about the respondent:
COUNTRY _____________________________________________________________
PUBLIC SECTOR ☐ PRIVATE SECTOR ☐ OTHER ______________________________
PLACE/ AREA OF WORK _________________________________________________
JOB POSITION: _________________________________________________________
UNIVERISTY/MAIN DEGREE_______________________________________________
SPECIALIZATIONS: _____________________________________________________
Thank you for your input and participation! The results of this questionnaire will prove helpful
for possible ESIF beneficiaries in their project proposals.
This research is part of the EU funded project Health Equity 2020 which has received funding
from the European Union, in the framework of the Health Programme.
Please send back this questionnaire to Oana Neagu, Researcher at Maastricht University
(oana.neagu@maastrichtuniversity.nl).
If you have any questions about this research or the project, please do not hesitate to contact
us.
3