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BRUSSELS: The European Commission on Wednesday (November 11) proposed rules that would give the EU the power to declare a health emergency and test national plans to deal with pandemics, in a possible blow to the World Organization of the Health.
The move follows an often uncoordinated reaction by the 27 EU governments to the COVID-19 pandemic, which early in the crisis led to competition in vital medical equipment and drug export bans.
It also comes after the WHO came under fire for declaring the pandemic too late, which first emerged in China late last year. The UN agency has repeatedly denied the accusation.
Under the proposals, the EU could declare a public health emergency at the EU level, which in turn would trigger greater coordination between EU states.
Currently, the EU depends on the WHO to declare such an emergency.
“The new rules will allow the activation of the EU emergency response mechanisms (…) without making it conditional on the WHO’s own declaration of a public health emergency of international concern,” says an EU document, adding that such a move would be coordinated by WHO.
READ: The death toll from COVID-19 in Europe exceeds 300,000 as winter approaches and infections increase
If adopted, the revision would partly take away important power from the WHO, as EU states call for organizational reform to address shortcomings in emergencies.
“We trust the WHO too much for the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Peter Liese, one of the top EU lawmakers from German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party.
“Under pressure from China, the WHO declared the health emergency too late. It is therefore very important to have the possibility to act at the European level in future similar situations.”
The WHO, which the Trump administration has labeled a China puppet, was not immediately available for comment.
COORDINATION ON VACCINES
Under the commission’s proposals, the EU would help governments prepare pandemic plans and audit and test them, according to an EU document.
EU states have traditionally been reluctant to give Brussels more powers on the matter.
During the pandemic, they have applied different national measures on a number of topics, including testing policies for COVID-19 cases, quarantine rules and travel restrictions.
But they have shown good coordination in the acquisition of vaccines.
READ: COVID-19 vaccine advance raises hope, raises logistical headache
If approved by EU governments and EU lawmakers, the commission said the proposals would be immediately applicable and could strengthen the EU’s powers to tackle the current pandemic, in which most European countries are experiencing a increase in cases.
Brussels wants to strengthen the EU’s public health agency, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, whose non-binding advice, such as on the duration of quarantine after contact with an infected person, has often been ignored.
He also wants more power for the EU Medicines Agency to prevent risks of shortages of medicines and medical devices.
Brussels also said it would unveil plans for a new health authority inspired by the US Authority for Advanced Biomedical Research and Development late next year, which has played a vital role in procuring experimental drugs and vaccines.
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