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The European Commission wants the European Union (EU) to be able to declare public health emergencies “independently and flexibly” in future epidemics or outbreaks, as the World Health Organization (WHO) did with covid-19 .
“We must have the flexibility to respond to health crises and, therefore, if we are able […] declaring an EU-wide emergency situation would immediately allow the transfer of equipment, joint purchases and the implementation of measures by the Commission, “said European Health Commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, in an interview with several health agencies. News European countries, including Lusa.
In this interview regarding the presentation of a package of proposals to create a “true European Health Union” at the height of the covid-19 pandemic, Stella Kyriakides argued that the declaration of public health emergencies would allow “a much more anticipated European response. “.
“We have to be able to do it. The new rules we will create for a European Health Union will allow us to activate the EU Emergency Response Mechanism, obviously in close cooperation with the WHO, but not according to the WHO, ”said the European Commissioner.
For the official it is a “crucial measure”, first of all “learning from the beginning of the current crisis”, which has shown that the EU must “act quickly and effectively”.
This is one of the proposals presented today by the European Commission for the creation of a “true European Health Union”, after the difficulties experienced in recent months due to covid-19, in a package that also provides for the strengthening of the mandates of the European Center of Prevention and Disease Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the creation of a new authority to manage future health crises.
“We will be able to declare an emergency situation, jointly at the European level, and activate our emergency response mechanisms independently, but in close cooperation with WHO,” said Stella Kyriakides.
In January of this year, WHO declared covid-19 as a global public health emergency, this is the sixth time the organization has resorted to such a state of alert, having done so with diseases such as ebola, polio. , influenza A or the Zika virus.
According to the WHO regulation, an international health emergency results in an “extraordinary event that puts the public health of other states at risk through the international spread of diseases and potentially requires a coordinated international response”.
In practice, this leads health authorities to increase monitoring and control of the disease and should be alert to the need for containment measures.
This is what the European Commission wants to be possible in the EU.
The organization and delivery of health care is the responsibility of the national authorities of the Member States, so the EU must complement national policies and coordinate joint responses, including by sharing resources for common problems, such as pandemics or outbreaks.
Supporting this assistance to the countries are the two agencies specializing in health issues, ECDC and EMA.
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