Article page checkbox is not checked in page info.
EU toolbox against health threats at home and beyond
EU toolbox against health threats at home and beyond
Gabija Leclerc, Members' Research Service
Summary
Global health threats are becoming more frequent and severe. As the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted, they can quickly turn into emergencies, heavily impact human health, and paralyse economic, cultural and societal activities globally. Therefore, health security is a global challenge.
In this context, and in the light of lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU has substantially strengthened its toolbox to prevent, prepare for and respond to health threats. Its toolbox consists of legislative measures – in particular, the Regulation on the prevention, preparedness and response to serious cross-border health threats, the EU Health Emergency Regulation, reinforced roles for the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the setting up of the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA). Other tools in the EU health security toolbox include the Union Civil Protection Mechanism; humanitarian assistance in emergencies; research and development in the area of health security; capacity building in the partner countries under the Global Gateway; participation in the Global Health Security Initiative; and co-crafting of international instruments on health security.
Moreover, EU action on health security is guided by a number of policy documents. The most recent European Commission communication on reinforcing global health resilience amidst geopolitical change, adopted in May 2026, sets out priority areas through which the EU should contribute to scaling up global prevention, preparedness and response to health threats and to addressing resilience gaps in health systems.
Despite significant improvements in health security at the national, regional, EU and global levels, several challenges remain, including limited financing for public and global health and their health security component; the ongoing fragmentation of the global health architecture; and health-related misinformation and disinformation.
The European Parliament is a strong supporter of both the internal and external dimensions of EU health policy. It treats the health security component as a key area for strengthening EU action. Through its resolutions, Parliament has expressed its views on the current and future EU action on health security.
Introduction and context
Global health threats are growing in both frequency and severity. This is due, among other factors, to densely populated urban areas, heightened human–animal contact, migration, climate change, humanitarian crises, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). As the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted, threats can rapidly turn into emergencies, impacting human health and paralysing economic, cultural and societal activities globally. Therefore, ensuring a high level of prevention and preparedness and the capacity to respond to health threats worldwide is essential to protecting human health, societal wellbeing and the economy.
Whereas significant improvements in global health security were achieved in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic – including through the adoption of the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement and the amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR), as well as through multiple measures taken at national and regional levels – several challenges remain. The recent Andes hantavirus and Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreaks highlighted, alongside the positive improvements and their significance, the remaining gaps and the necessity for further action.
Recent Andes hantavirus and Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreaks
On 17 May 2026, the WHO declared that the Ebola disease outbreak caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).1 This means that the outbreak poses a serious, unusual, cross-border risk that requires coordinated international action. The European Council conclusions of 18-19 June 2026 express concern over the outbreak, and call on the Council and the Commission to monitor the situation and coordinate operational priorities.
A couple of weeks beforehand, on 2 May 2026, a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness aboard a cruise ship was reported to the WHO, the European and other health authorities. The virus has been identified as Andes hantavirus.
Although the risk to the general population in the EU/European Economic Area (EEA) remains very low, both outbreaks have necessitated close monitoring and stepped-up efforts to prevent the outbreaks from spreading further.
The EU has successfully reinforced its health security toolbox following the COVID-19 pandemic. Many positive outcomes have already been demonstrated in the context of the recent outbreaks. That said, further efforts are being undertaken by the EU to enhance the prevention, preparedness and response to health threats – both inside the EU and globally.
The EU's health security toolbox
Key policy documents
The EU commitment to preventing, preparing for and countering health threats is laid down in several EU policy documents. While non-binding, those policy documents – most often in the form of a Commission communication – guide EU action and set out the flagship initiatives to be undertaken.
First, the EU global health strategy, adopted in November 2022, recognises that combating health threats is a key priority. It commits the EU to (i) continue focusing on improving biosafety and biosecurity; (ii) work towards a permanent global mechanism that fosters the development of and equitable access to vaccines and countermeasures for low- and middle-income countries; (iii) build a robust global collaborative surveillance network to better detect and act on pathogens; (iv) apply the One Health approach and intensify the fight against AMR; and (v) negotiate an effective legally binding pandemic agreement and strengthened IHR (both of which have been – largely successfully – negotiated and adopted in 2025 and 2024 respectively).
Second, the EU preparedness union strategy, adopted in March 2025, outlines the measures to strengthen the EU's capacity to anticipate, prevent, detect and respond to cross-border health threats, fostering a more coordinated approach to crisis preparedness. It also indicates health security and pandemic preparedness as one of the key areas where the EU should build mutual resilience with partners countries.
Complementing the EU preparedness union strategy, the medical countermeasures strategy, adopted in July 2025, aims to reinforce the EU's preparedness for health emergencies by ensuring access to and availability of medical countermeasures. In line with this strategy, the Commission in January 2026 adopted the comprehensive 2025 health threat prioritisation assessment for medical countermeasures. The document identifies the priority threats that require interventions, and strategic dependencies relating to the development, production, procurement, stockpiling and distribution of the countermeasures.
The Commission communication introducing the Union prevention, preparedness and response plan for health crises, adopted in November 2025, presents the EU prevention, preparedness and response plan for health crises, which itself constitutes a fulfilment of a legal requirement under the Regulation on serious cross-border threats to health (see below), and stands as a key action implementing the EU preparedness union strategy. The plan contains a comprehensive toolbox for crisis managers to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies effectively. Among other things, the plan sets out the process for recognising a public health emergency at Union level, and outlines the additional measures and procedures that may be activated.
More recently, the communication on reinforcing global health resilience amidst geopolitical change, adopted in May 2026, sets out five key priority areas through which the EU can most effectively help to scale up global prevention, preparedness and response to future health threats and address resilience gaps in health systems. These five areas are: (i) promoting a more effective and less fragmented global health architecture; (ii) supporting resilient and country-led health systems; (iii) reinforcing international-level prevention, preparedness and response to global health threats and crises; (iv) diversifying global supply chains and manufacturing of key health products; and (v) fostering trust in science and countering health disinformation and misinformation. To translate these priorities into action, the communication includes nine flagship initiatives (FI), whose implementation will begin between 2026 and 2027. Several of those FIs are directly linked to public health threats and emergencies, while others also support health security in a broader sense.
Flagship initiatives under the Communication on reinforcing global health resilience amidst geopolitical change
Fl 3: Strengthen global networks for enhanced detection, preparedness and response
-
Cooperation with the WHO and other global and regional partners will foster additional sources of epidemic intelligence including through environmental surveillance.
-
The Commission will support better surveillance and laboratory infrastructure in low- and priority middle- income countries through the Pandemic Fund and a support action with the WHO or other relevant partners.
-
The ECDC cooperation will be expanded with national and regional centres for disease control to facilitate the flow of information on pathogens, and with the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network to support rapid international interventions.
Fl 4: Strengthen response capacity through the availability of medical countermeasures
-
The Commission will support the establishment of the Global Therapeutics Development Coalition and set up an EU Therapeutics Hub.
-
The Commission will step up its commitment to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and ensure investment in the European Vaccines Hub to support new vaccines.
-
The Commission will support the establishment of an EU Diagnostics Hub to promote the development and market deployment of novel diagnostics tests and technologies that can be easily repurposed and/or scaled up when a pandemic hits.
Fl 5: Support a global health and resilience tracker
-
In collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the WHO and the World Bank, the EU will develop a global health and resilience tracker to ensure a consistent approach to routinely track global health expenditure and complement ongoing efforts to strengthen national funding. The tracker will initially focus on pandemic preparedness, prevention and response by mapping the domestic spending of partners and the international support they receive, to avoid duplication and increase the transparency, accountability and effectiveness of global health security financing.
Other FIs pertain to the advancement of the EU support for global supply chain diversification and the development and manufacturing of key health products (FI 6); the promotion of a global partnership for knowledge exchange on medical countermeasures and surge capacity (FI 7); support for the clinical research networks for end-to-end clinical development of health products (FI 8); and fostering trust in science and countering disinformation and misinformation by ensuring global access to key health science, genome and biodata repositories (FI 9). Moreover, one flagship initiative will focus on enhancing coordination within the EU on global health (FI 1), and another will support partner countries' transition to health sovereignty (FI 2).
Legislation and key bodies
For more than two decades, the EU has had legislation to ensure a coordinated response to cross-border health threats of biological origin (including communicable diseases), as well as of chemical, environmental and unknown origin. This legislation was significantly reinforced following the lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The current EU's legislative health security framework provides the key tools to prevent, prepare, and respond to the public health threats. Those include:
Regulation on the prevention, preparedness and response to serious cross-border health threats
A strengthened Regulation on the prevention, preparedness and response to serious cross-border health threats, in force since 26 December 2022, is the main legal act that sets the structures, processes and mechanisms at EU level to effectively improve the EU's capacity in prevention, preparedness, surveillance, risk assessment, early warning, and response to the health threats.
The regulation provides the EU with:
-
the power to declare an EU public health emergency that would trigger increased coordination, the deployment of ECDC support and mechanisms to monitor, develop, procure and deploy medical countermeasures;
-
more robust preparedness planning, with an EU preparedness plan (adopted in November 2025) and regular monitoring and assessment of Member States' preparedness capacities;
-
an expanded early warning and response system that is interoperable with other alert systems at EU and international levels and to support contact tracing and a new medical evacuation module;
-
a strengthened, integrated surveillance system at EU level;
-
a risk assessment framework for all hazards, including rapid recommendations for response measures, involving several EU agencies – the ECDC, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the European Environment Agency (EEA), the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), and the European Medicines Agency (EMA);
-
a system of joint procurement of medical countermeasures, which is also open to the EU's partner countries, including EFTA2 members, as well as Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City State and EU candidate countries;
-
the possibility of adopting common measures at EU level to address future cross-border health threats through a reinforced Health Security Committee (see the box below).
This regulation is fully implemented not only by the EU Member States but also by the European Economic Area (EEA) members – Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. In addition, the EU has an agreement on health security with Switzerland.
Health Security Committee
The Health Security Committee (HSC) coordinates the EU's rapid response to serious cross-border threats to health. It is a key forum for the exchange of information on measures adopted by each Member State. Together with the Commission, the HSC defines the actions to follow up on preparedness, planning, risk and crisis communication and response.
The HSC works at two levels: (i) a senior-level working group that discusses serious cross-border threats to health; and (ii) technical working groups that discuss specific issues. Chaired by the Commission, the groups comprise representatives of EU Member States' health authorities. EEA countries, as well as candidate and potential candidate countries, participate as observers. The HSC meets regularly, when the situation requires and on request of the Commission or an EU Member State.
HSC activity during the most recent outbreaks
The Commission is working closely with the EU Member States through the HSC to keep them informed about the latest developments on the Andes hantavirus and Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreaks, and to coordinate approaches on prevention and preparedness. The relevant EU bodies, such as the ECDC and the EMA, and international partners, including representatives from the WHO and the CEPI, have also been invited to share their information. On 22 May 2026, the HSC published its opinion on the EU response to the 2026 Ebola outbreak.
EU Health Emergency Regulation
The EU Health Emergency Regulation, 3 adopted in October 2022, provides an emergency framework for securing crisis-relevant medical countermeasures during a public health emergency at the EU level. Under the regulation, if the EU recognises a public health emergency, the Council, on a proposal from the Commission, may activate the emergency framework.
This emergency framework includes: (i) the establishment of a Health Crisis Board, composed of the Commission and of one representative from each Member State, tasked with coordinating urgent action and ensuring a robust response throughout the EU; (ii) the monitoring, procurement and purchase of crisis-relevant medical countermeasures and raw materials; (iii) the activation of emergency research and innovation plans, including the use of Union-wide clinical trial networks and data-sharing platforms; (iv) emergency Union funding; and (v) measures concerning the production, availability and supply of crisis-relevant medical countermeasures.
Reinforced roles for the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Medicines Agency
With its reinforced mandate, the E CDC supports the Commission and the EU Member States in dealing with cross-border health threats through: (i) epidemiological surveillance; (ii) preparedness and response planning, reporting and assessment; (iii) provision of non-binding recommendations and options for risk management on biological threats; (iv) the capacity to mobilise and deploy EU Outbreak Assistance Teams to assist local responses in Member States; and (v) building a network of EU reference laboratories and a network for substances of human origin. In addition, the ECDC collaborates with major non-EU centres for disease control on timely exchange of information and expertise.
Example: ECDC activities relating to the 2026 Ebola outbreak
To gather first-hand information from the field, ECDC is working closely with partners to establish a larger presence via the EU Health Task Force to support the DRC and Uganda. The action ECDC is taking to support health authorities in the affected countries while ensuring the health security of people in the EU/EEA includes:
-
support for EU/EEA countries in providing clear and practical travel advice for all those arriving from the affected areas and in strengthening readiness to rapidly detect and isolate those infected;
-
epidemiological updates and infographics;
-
cooperation with the aviation sector to strengthen the safety of passengers, ensuring a consistent approach to the management of suspected cases during flights;
-
ECDC scientific advice on infection prevention and control measures in the EU/EEA.
Thanks to its reinforced mandate, the EMA facilitates a coordinated EU-level response to such crises by: (i) monitoring and mitigating the risk of shortages of critical medicines and medical devices; (ii) providing scientific advice on medicines that may have the potential to treat, prevent or diagnose the diseases causing those crises; (iii) coordinating studies to monitor the effectiveness and safety of vaccines; and (iv) coordinating clinical trials.
Example: EMA activities relating to the 2026 Ebola outbreak
The EMA, together with other EU bodies, is closely monitoring the ongoing Ebola disease outbreak. Even before this latest outbreak, the EMA has been working with the WHO and regulatory authorities worldwide to advise on potential pathways for the development, evaluation and approval of Ebola medicines.
Following a positive recommendation from the EMA, the Ebola vaccine Ervebo, which works against the Ebola-Zaire strain, obtained an EU-wide conditional marketing authorisation in November 2019. Importantly, the EMA supported the development of this vaccine through its PRIME scheme aimed at strengthening support for the development of medicines targeting unmet medical needs.
Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority
HERA, established as one of the Commission's Directorates-General (DGs) in September 2021, has as mission to strengthen Europe's ability to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to cross-border health emergencies by ensuring the development, manufacturing, procurement and equitable distribution of key medical countermeasures. Bringing together EU Member States, the industry and key stakeholders, HERA also bolsters cooperation between actors in the global health security architecture. HERA anticipates potential health crises through intelligence gathering, and builds the necessary response capacities by addressing gaps in the EU's preparedness. When a public health emergency is declared, the authority may be tasked with coordinating the development, manufacturing and procurement of medical countermeasures, ensuring their availability and access.
Example: HERA activities relating to the 2026 Ebola outbreak
HERA carries out various activities relating to the outbreak, including supporting the advancement of diagnostics (under the EU4Health programme) through the Africa Pathogens Genomics Initiative and the Partnership to accelerate Mpox and other outbreaks testing and sequencing in Africa (PAMTA). HERA also works closely with the WHO on the R&D Blueprint for Epidemics.
Other tools in the EU health security toolbox
Alongside the EU health security framework legislation, multiple other EU initiatives have been adopted and carried out with the aim of strengthening the EU's resilience and boosting its ability to anticipate, prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from crises.
Union Civil Protection Mechanism
Under the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), a dedicated mechanism to strengthen civil protection cooperation between the EU Member States and 10 additional participating countries,4 the EU facilitates rapid coordination of mutual assistance to deploy medical teams, equipment and emergency assistance when countries face major health emergencies.
Example: UCPM use during the most recent outbreaks
Following the activation of the UCPM by Spain on 6 May 2026 in the context of the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre facilitated the safe evacuation of people aboard the affected ship.
The UCPM has not yet been activated in the context of the 2026 Ebola outbreak.
Humanitarian assistance in emergencies
As over 70 % of epidemics occur in fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings, EU humanitarian assistance is essential to prevent, prepare and counter health threats in humanitarian settings. This is why the EU allocated €81 million for humanitarian activities relating to epidemic preparedness, prevention and response globally in the years 2020 to 2025. The EU also funds humanitarian activities to protect mental health and ensure the continuation of primary healthcare and reproductive, maternal and newborn healthcare in humanitarian settings. Those pillars indirectly but significantly contribute to preventing, preparing and countering health threats.
Complementing the UCPM, rescEU, a strategic reserve of European disaster response capabilities and stockpiles, funded by the EU, provides a centrally managed European reserve of critical capacities such as medical stockpiles, field hospitals, and medical evacuation assets to enable swift support when national resources are overwhelmed. The EU also responds to humanitarian emergencies by mobilising funding or delivering life-saving medical supplies, logistics, and assistance and expertise through ReliefEU, an emergency response tool that can be activated by humanitarian partners and organisations to support response operations in the event of sudden disasters or the deterioration of an ongoing crisis.
Example: EU humanitarian assistance in the context of the 2026 Ebola outbreak
In response to the 2026 Ebola outbreak, the EU allocated €15 million in humanitarian funding to support emergency operations as well as preparedness and prevention efforts in the DRC, Uganda and neighbouring countries. The EU launched its Humanitarian Air Bridge operation to deliver 100 tonnes of emergency supplies to eastern DRC, including medicines, protective equipment, infection-control material, tents, and operational equipment for frontline teams. It also dispatched two Humanitarian Aid Flights aeroplanes from the EU to the DRC that are available to transport humanitarian personnel and cargo. In parallel, through €1.5 million in co-financing to the WHO AFRO Regional Emergency Hub in Dakar, Senegal, the EU supported the deployment of 6.3 tonnes of medical supplies to the DRC.
Research and development
Funding under Horizon Europe
The EU is actively funding and supporting research and development (R&D) activities in the field of health, including the health security component. Indeed, research on emerging infectious diseases has been included in the Commission framework programmes for research since their inception. The EU currently supports health security by funding research activities under Horizon Europe and other funding programmes.
For instance, with a contribution of €800 million from Horizon Europe, the EU supports the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking (GH EDCTP3 JU), which works to deliver new solutions for reducing the burden of infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, and to strengthen research capacities for preparedness and response against re-emerging infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa and globally. By 2030, the EDCTP3 aims to (i) license at least two new health technologies tackling infectious diseases; and (ii) support at least 100 research institutes in 30 countries for an effective and rapid research response to develop diagnostics, treatments and vaccines against re-emerging epidemics.
In parallel, the European partnership for pandemic preparedness (BE READY), with a funding of €120 million, was launched to improve the EU's preparedness to predict, prevent and respond to emerging infectious health threats by better coordinating funding for research and innovation at EU, national (and regional) levels towards jointly agreed objectives and an agreed strategic research and innovation agenda.
Moreover, EU funding under Horizon Europe supports the international CEPI. Recently, the Commission committed up to €73.7 million to CEPI for 2026 and 2027. This will reinforce joint efforts to accelerate vaccine R&D.
Funding under the EU4Health programme
Simultaneously, under the EU4Health programme, the EU finances a number of projects pertaining to global health security. For instance, with almost €202 million of funding, the EU supports the European Vaccines Hub for Pandemic Readiness project. By 2029, to ensure EU's vaccine readiness and responsiveness for pandemics, this project will establish a European Vaccines Hub by aligning existing nationally funded vaccine R&D investments into a collaborative network for end-to-end vaccine delivery.
With almost €9.4 million, the EU also funds the Partnership to accelerate Mpox and other outbreaks testing and sequencing in Africa (PAMTA). This collaboration between HERA, the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the African Society for Laboratory Medicine leverages projects in expanding the application of genomics surveillance to more priority diseases under the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative 2.0.
Moreover, with almost €2 million from the EU, the Waste to Wisdom: Wastewater Molecular and Genomic Surveillance in African Megacities project introduces wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) as a cost-effective approach to monitor health trends in real time. The project's primary focus is on Mpox and other priority pathogens, which will be used as a key use case to demonstrate the feasibility and public health added value of WBS for disease early warning. The system will also be adaptable to detect other priority pathogens, supporting broader public health surveillance.
EU funding for Ebola research and development
As the Commission notes, even before the latest Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, the EU has provided:
-
over €160 million for Ebola vaccine development;
-
€7 million for the development of Ebola treatments;
-
over €7 million for diagnostic tests.
Capacity building under the Global Gateway
Team Europe initiatives under the Global Gateway, the EU and Member States' strategic external investment policy, are helping to improve health security and increase health system resilience around the world. For instance, the Team Europe initiative on sustainable health security using a One Health approach in Africa strengthens systems and capacities for sustainable, risk-informed prevention, preparedness and response to infectious threats and AMR. In parallel, through a Team Europe initiative to boost manufacturing of vaccines, medicines and health technologies in Africa (MAV+), the EU assists its African partners in strengthening their local pharmaceutical systems and manufacturing capacity, which are essential for health security.
EU multilateral and bilateral efforts to strengthen global health security
To enhance health security, the EU cooperates with the WHO and other relevant United Nations (UN) agencies and bodies. It also fosters bilateral and multilateral cooperation with separate countries and non-state entities, including the private sector.
Co-crafting of the international instruments to prevent, prepare and counter global health threats
The EU is committed to global health governance and is a strong advocate for a more effective global health security architecture. Importantly, the EU was a key player in initiating and co-crafting the Pandemic Agreement and influencing the International Health Regulations, both negotiated under WHO auspices.
Global health security in the bilateral security and defence partnerships
The EU has started integrating global health security into its bilateral security and defence partnerships. Most notably, under the EU–United Kingdom (UK) security and defence partnership, concluded in May 2025, the partners resolved to enhance cooperation and information exchange on global health security, and on preparedness and response to global public-health security emergencies.
Global Health Security Initiative
As a member of the Global Health Security Initiative, an informal partnership, the Commission works closely with the WHO and Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the UK and the US to strengthen public health preparedness and response globally.
Remaining gaps and challenges
Despite significant improvements in health security at the national, EU, regional and global levels, several challenges remain. The first challenge comprises limited financing for public and global health and their health security component. The ongoing fragmentation of the global health architecture and compromised cooperation is another problem that hinders effective prevention of, preparedness for and countering of health threats. Finally, despite widespread efforts to tackle health-related misinformation and disinformation, they continue to be disruptive and damaging to the health security – both in the EU and globally.
Funding
Global health action has been facing a financing gap for decades. However, the situation has worsened as a number of countries, including several EU Member States, lower their global health, development and humanitarian aid budgets in the context of competing priorities. One of the most worrying examples is the US policy shift on global health, which includes drastically cutting not only global health and development and humanitarian aid (both of which have important health components) funding. Moreover, following the US withdrawal from the WHO, the loss of its financial contribution has weakened the WHO's ability to respond to global health crises. All of this risks negatively impacting health security worldwide.
Fragmentation of the global health architecture and compromised cooperation
The WHO is the key actor in advancing global health efforts, including in preventing, preparing for and responding to the health threats; however, it is challenged by, among other things, the fragmentation of the global health landscape; its governance issues; its limited authority due to insufficient independence and legal power; and political and funding pressure from member states. All of these challenges impede the WHO's effective action, and the agency is often blamed for its delayed response to emergencies.
Moreover, the US withdrawal from the WHO has resulted not only in a reduction in funding but also in a loss of expertise, data sharing and technical support, and reduced agency's quasi-universal reach. This has already resulted in reduced global capacities for monitoring health threats, as well as weakened international coordination, resources and leadership in addressing health crises. It is therefore feared that the US withdrawal may have dire implications on global health, health security, and US public health alike. Indeed, experts are already pointing to the 2026 Ebola outbreak, noting that the impacts of the US withdrawal from the WHO and its reduced foreign funding are particularly visible in the affected region.
Fragmentation is also visible at the EU level. With a number of strengthened actors and bodies – most notably the ECDC, the EMA, HERA and other Commission services such as DG SANTE (for Health and Food Safety), DG INTPA (for International Partnerships) and DG ECHO (for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations), and the HSC, as well as relevant Council bodies – the landscape of entities dealing with the health security is crowded and complex. Moreover, EU Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi is responsible for health and animal welfare, while pandemic preparedness and HERA oversight are within the portfolio of Hadja Lahbib, the Commissioner responsible for equality as well as for preparedness and crisis management. Thus, an efficient coordination and cooperation between the actors remains a priority to ensure effective prevention of, preparedness for and response to the health threats in the EU and beyond.
Misinformation and disinformation
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how health-related misinformation, disinformation and information overload (or an information vacuum) could negatively impact health outcomes and compromise health security. Thanks to the lessons learnt from the pandemic, efforts have been made at the national, EU and global (e.g. WHO) levels to tackle misinformation and disinformation and increase societal resilience to infodemics.5 For instance, the EU established frameworks, codes of practice and initiatives, such as the Rapid Alert System and the European Digital Media Observatory; strengthened EU Code of Practice on Disinformation; and adopted a European democracy action plan and the Digital Services Act. On its part, the WHO stepped up its efforts by reaching populations with trusted information, creating new tools and channels to amplify health messages, and working with its partners to counter infodemics.
Nevertheless, infodemics – including misinformation and disinformation, especially regarding vaccines and outbreak containment measures – remain a considerable challenge both in the EU and globally. This is particularly problematic during disease outbreaks, where health misinformation and disinformation often result in non-compliance with public health measures, vaccine hesitancy, adoption of non-approved (and sometimes harmful) remedies, all of which pose a severe threat to global health security.
Example: Infodemics and mistrust in the context of 2026 Ebola outbreak
As was the case during the previous Ebola outbreaks, infodemics – combined with the low level of trust in the health authorities – are challenging the management of the recent Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreak in the DRC and Uganda. Some have spread claims – both within affected countries and well beyond – about the virus not being real, or about the scale of the outbreak being exaggerated for the benefit of hospitals and non-governmental organisations. Others have questioned the methods of contracting the virus, and have spread misinformation about alternative remedies. Cases where community members attacked treatment facilities and 'freed' suspected Ebola patients have also been recorded. All this threatens to compromise the containment efforts and puts other countries in the region in danger.
European Parliament's position
The European Parliament is a strong supporter of both the internal and external dimensions of EU health policy. It treats the health security component as a key area for stepping up EU action.
Parliament closely monitors EU action on health and health security. For instance, on 21 May 2026, MEPs heard a Commission statement on the hantavirus outbreak and debated the issue. Parliament also regularly invites relevant Commission as well as ECDC and EMA representatives to its committee meetings for an exchange of information and views.
In addition, through its resolutions, Parliament expresses its views on current and future EU action on health security. For instance, in its resolution of 23 October 2025 on renewing the EU–Africa partnership, Parliament emphasised that health security is a shared global challenge, and expressed concern that significant budget cuts in the sector threaten to undo decades of progress in global health, putting millions of lives at risk. It welcomed EU support for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, for vaccine manufacturing hubs, and for the African Medicines Agency. Through the resolution, it also called for continued cooperation on pandemic preparedness, local pharmaceutical production, and universal health coverage.
Another resolution on implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals in view of the 2025 High-Level Political Forum, adopted on 9 July 2025, stressed the need for horizontal programming in health policy, and for investment in preparedness against health threats and in resilient public health systems.
Parliament, through its resolution of 26 March 2026 on Global Gateway, called for continued support through Global Gateway projects for strengthening global preparedness against health threats by investing in the development of prevention, preparedness and response capacities and in sustainable local manufacturing and capacity building initiatives in partner countries.
Finally, Parliament's resolution of 21 January 2026 on the implementation of the common foreign and security policy called on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to intensify structured engagement with regional organisations to develop inclusive cross-cutting partnerships on health security.
Endnotes
Disclaimer
This document is prepared for, and addressed to, the Members and staff of the European Parliament as background material to assist them in their parliamentary work. The content of the document is the sole responsibility of its author(s) and any opinions expressed herein should not be taken to represent an official position of the Parliament.
Copyright
© European Union.
The reuse of this document is authorised under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0) licence.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en
To use or reproduce elements that are not owned by the European Union, permission may need to be sought directly from the respective rightsholders.