Across Europe in 2024, governments spent nearly half of their nations' entire economic output, and the choices embedded in that spending reveal a shared civilizational commitment: protecting people from the vulnerabilities of illness, old age, and misfortune. Social protection alone consumed two of every five euros, with health close behind, together accounting for more than half of public budgets in most countries. While the proportions shift from Finland's expansive welfare architecture to Hungary's leaner allocations, the underlying covenant between European states and their citizens remain