Austerity can lead to smarter spending but it can also lead to problems that undermine people’s health if there is no long-term plan. The European Commission can help EU member states grapple with this problem in various ways, including through country-specific recommendations that it already issues for each EU member state every year. Tonio Borg, the European Union’s Commissioner responsible for health, discussed this instrument and other aspects of the austerity and health debate at this breakfast briefing. He focused in particular on the need for long-term health reforms to ensure the long-term sustainability of health systems across the EU.