The European Commission intends to significantly cut its contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, ending a decades-long trend of increasing contributions to the multilateral health organisation.

According to research by Health Policy Watch, the Commission plans to pledge €700 million over a four-year span from 2026 to 2029 at the Global Fund Board meeting starting on Wednesday (11 February).

As the overall sum stretches a smaller amount of money over a longer period of time compared to previous commitments, this would mean a reduction of roughly €60 million per year  – a cut of 26.5%.

During the previous replenishment cycle, the Commission pledged €715 million over three years from 2023 to 2025, which at the time marked a 30% increase over the prior commitment.

The Commission did not respond to a query by Health Policy Watch before publication of the article.

Asked for a comment, a Global Fund spokesperson confirmed that several donors who are not yet in a position to make public announcements have provided “strong assurances of their continued support”. The Global Fund is still in “active discussions” with several partners, including the European Commission, to finalise their commitments.

However, they refrained from sharing any further details of the negotiations.