In assessing the response to Covid-19, the EU auditors found that the EU’s response could be improved, in particular through better internal coordination and more effective communication with the public.
As the world faces a new monkeypox โ Mpox – epidemic, concerns about global health preparedness are resurfacing. It is a stark reminder for governments and international bodies, including the European Union, to reassess their preparedness for future pandemics. A report published by the European Court of Auditors on 4 September is undoubtedly timely: the ECA examined how two EU health agencies, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), responded to the Covid-19 pandemic and found significant gaps in preparedness and coordination.
Matthias Beermann, European Court of Auditorsโ spokesperson:
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โThe health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has caught the European Union partially off guard. Even though we have to say that the two EU medical agencies in charge, meaning the ECDC and in particular the EMA, eventually did pretty well, the pandemic, unfortunately, also highlighted some shortcomings and gaps that are not addressed. We think that therefore it is still premature to regard the EU as fully prepared to tackle the next major public health emergencies.โ
According to the ECA, the ECDC initially underestimated the threat posed by the virus and only stepped up its response in March 2020, by which time the virus had spread across Europe. As the agency relied heavily on member states’ testing strategies for data collection, inconsistencies prevented effective monitoring of the virus.
The EMA was more effective in maintaining its operations and speeding up vaccine approvals, but struggled to promote pan-European clinical trials.
The European Court of Auditors’ report makes a number of recommendations to strengthen the EU’s capacity to respond to future pandemics, in particular calling for a better understanding of the responsibilities of European agencies and those of EU member states. The report calls for closer cooperation between the ECDC and member states to build a stronger European infectious disease surveillance system and improve more accurate and timely data collection, clarification of the responsibilities of the EMA and EU health agencies to avoid unnecessary duplication, and better cooperation to promote EU-wide clinical trials. The EMA is also recommended to refine its rolling review process to make more effective use of resources in the event of a public health emergency.
Finally, better communication with the public could better prepare the EU for possible global pandemics in the future.
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- Author: Mariam Gigani, Euranet Plus News Agency
