On Tuesday 24 January in Luxembourg, the European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, together with Paulette Lenert, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health of Luxembourg, opened the first high-level meeting of the European Health Security Committee (HSC) since the strengthening of the European health security framework, which marked the deepening of the Health Union (see EUROPE 13049/19).
This committee, which was established under Decision 2119/98/EC to set up a ‘network for the epidemiological surveillance and control of communicable diseases’, has a strengthened mandate under the new Regulation EU/2022/2371 on serious cross-border health threats (see EUROPE 12978/18) to support and enhance the coordination of the European Commission and Member States, in particular under the new regulation.
Under the new strengthened mandate, the HSC may adopt opinions and provide guidance on measures for response for the prevention and control of serious cross-border health threats.
The HSC high-level meeting on 24 January focused on the rise of SARS-CoV-2 infections in China, developments regarding the SARS-CoV-2 variant XBB.1.5 and the European Prevention, Preparedness and Response Plan. (Original version in French by Emilie Vanderhulst)