In the global context of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic and social systems were shaken to their foundations, in the sense that many businesses had to close or suspend their activities, which also had a negative impact on the quality of life of the population, both from a medical and economic perspective. Thus, like other countries around the world, Eastern European countries that are members of the European Union (EU) community have also faced such economic and health problems, which have led to multiple crisis situations that have not been managed in the most optimal, efficient and targeted way to meet the real needs of the population, generating discontent and protests among them. In view of these issues, the aim of this paper is to identify the main factors impacting on the evolution of health budget expenditures allocated to the management of the COVID-19 crisis in Eastern European countries and the efficiency of the allocation of these costs.

Keywords: Eastern Europe, health expenditure, GDP, COVID-19