COVID-19, sustaining EU preparedness and response : looking ahead.
Date: 2022-11-14
Institutions: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety
Subjects: EU Member State, European cooperation, coronavirus disease, disease prevention, epidemic, health care system, health control, public health, respiratory disease, therapeutics, vaccination

COVID-19 – Sustaining EU Preparedness 
and Response: Looking ahead
#HealthUnion

2 7   A P R I L   2 0 2 2

The future course of the COVID-19 pandemic will depend on decisions we take now. European 
citizens expect the EU to protect their health while keeping societies and the economy open and 
resilient. Collective vigilance and preparedness therefore remain essential.

Increasing uptake of COVID-19 vaccination
• Member States should increase vaccination uptake and the administration of boosters 
and fourth doses for those who are eligible. They should also increase vaccination among 
children. 

• Member States should prepare COVID-19 vaccination strategies for the coming 
months taking into account the simultaneous circulation of seasonal influenza and 
incorporate COVID-19 vaccination into national vaccination programmes.

Surveillance and intelligence gathering through testing and sequencing

• Member States should switch from emergency surveillance to integrated, representative year-round surveillance of acute 

respiratory illnesses. They should use common criteria for case identification and testing strategies.

• Member States should prepare plans for rapid response including sufficient testing and contact-tracing capacities in the 

event of new outbreaks.

• Member States should monitor the emergence and spread of variants through laboratory sequencing and virus 

characterisation services and strategic testing linked to genomic sequencing. 

• EU4Health programme should be used to support Member States with setting up of integrated and coordinated 

surveillance systems and to strengthen existing lab networks for the identification and characterisation of emerging variants, 
including their impacts on vaccines and therapeutics.

Public health preparedness and response measures 

• Member States should ensure national healthcare system capacity 
and adequate supplies to cover potentially increasing COVID-19 and/or 
seasonal influenza cases.

• Member States should prepare contingency plans to reintroduce public 

health measures if needed. 

• Member States should ensure the extension of the EU Digital COVID 
Certificate Regulation and requirements for travellers to present the 
Certificate should be lifted as soon as the situation allows.

Second generation COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and clinical trials

• Development of a coordinated strategy for the next generation COVID-19 vaccines. 
• Launch of the tender procedure to set up the EU FAB, a network of ever warm vaccine 

production facilities.

• Identifying priorities for further Joint Procurements for therapeutics and strengthening 

integration with established national and EU processes. 

• Improving national capacities in EU/EEA countries for research and multi-country clinical 

trials during a crisis.

Addressing mis- and disinformation 

• Proactive risk communication strategies and community engagement on 

possible additional COVID-19 vaccine doses.

• Analysis and assessment of foreign information manipulation and 

interference via the EU’s Rapid Alert System.

Global dimension: solidarity and governance 

• Continued support by Team Europe for access to adequate healthcare for all and 
stronger health systems in partner countries and regions to detect, treat and prevent 
diseases, and respond to the current and future epidemics and pandemics; strengthened 
local pharmaceutical production through a One Health approach. 

• More than € 1 billion in EU investments to strengthen health systems in Africa, 

including support to local manufacturing of health products.

• Continued EU support to the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership and 

African countries to strengthen health systems. 

• EU leadership and support for multilateral efforts to learn lessons from the 
pandemic by improving global health strategies, global health architecture and 
international health regulations. 

MEASURES TO BE TAKEN IN THE MEDIUM AND LONG TERM

Tackling wider health impacts of the 
pandemic, including “long COVID”
and mental health through further data 
collection and analysis in the coming years

Increased focus on 
healthcare system 
resilience

Speeding up digitalisation 
in health through a European 
Health Data Space

PDF   ISBN  978-92-76-52152-5   doi: 10.2875/173212     EW-01-22-377-EN-N

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