Despite the trend towards international disengagement, the European Commission remains convinced that multilateralism will make it easier to tackle international health challenges.
Presenting the European Union as a loyal and predictable partner, on Wednesday 13 May European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela outlined a new strategy that will guide the Commission’s action in anticipating and managing health emergencies.
“The reality is that the frequency and intensity of disease outbreaks are increasing”, said Mr Síkela, referring to the vulnerability of societies observed during the Covid-19 pandemic and, more recently, the cases of human-to-human transmission of the Hantavirus on a cruise ship (see EUROPE 13866/7).
In his view, the Commission’s initiative to promote global health resilience responds to “three hard truths”: “health threats do not respect borders”; “preparedness pays off” in terms of human lives and economic benefits; and dependence on a few suppliers of health products is “dangerous”.
In its communication, the Commission notes that international funding for health is fragmented and declining. It fell from €45.8 to €36.1 billion (a reduction of 21%) between 2024 and 2025, and this trend will continue until 2030, according to the IHME Institute.
In response to this situation, the EU institution has set out five key priority areas for action, which will be implemented through nine flagship initiatives. It aims to promote a less fragmented international architecture and support robust health systems at national level by integrating the ‘One Health’ concept. “This is our first line of defence”, said Mr Síkela.
In cooperation with the WHO, the Commission also wants to strengthen preparedness for health crises, in particular by using European reference laboratories and supporting vaccination campaigns. To respond more quickly in the event of a crisis, it will broaden the EU’s capacity to take countermeasures, by setting up platforms dedicated to the production of diagnostic tests (‘EU diagnostics hub’) and therapeutic products (‘EU therapeutics hub’).
A global health tracker is also being developed to monitor national and international health spending on a daily basis. The objective will be to avoid duplication and increase transparency.
Another priority is developing partnerships with industry and public authorities in third countries in order to diversify supply and manufacturing chains for essential health products.
The Commission wants to expand the €2 billion ‘MAV+’ initiative, which supports the manufacturing of vaccines and medicines in six African countries. It will also promote the ‘EU FAB’ model, which guarantees a production capacity that can be mobilised at any time.
Finally, Mr Síkela highlighted the risks to the information environment’s integrity in the event of a health crisis. “We must foster trust in science and counter health disinformation and potential foreign interference”, he said.
Regarding public access to data, the Commission also wants to provide adequate funding to initiatives such as GENCODE (human genome), UniProt (proteins) and Europe PMC (biology).
See the global health resilience initiative: https://aeur.eu/f/lwe (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)