The European Commission is preparing to present, on 13 May, a communication on global health resilience. This initiative aligns with the Commission’s political priority of strengthening the EU’s role in global health and health security.
The Communication should be read in light of the EU Global Health Strategy, adopted on 30 November 2022, which positions global health as a central dimension of the Union’s external action, structured around three pillars: improving health and well-being throughout life, strengthening health systems and universal coverage, and preventing and responding to health threats.
More recently, in the Commission’s report on the implementation of the EU Global Health Strategy, published on 10 July 2025, global health is described as a pillar of the Union’s external policy and of the external dimension of the European Health Union, with particular emphasis on pandemic preparedness, health system resilience, coordination between institutions and Member States, and alignment with the Global Gateway initiative.
The new communication is expected to consolidate the shift from a predominantly reactive approach to a more structural focus on prevention, preparedness and resilience, in line with the Commission’s strategy and the strengthening of European capacities to respond to health emergencies, including through HERA.
Key topics are likely to include strengthening critical supply chains, health security, cooperation with partner countries, the One Health approach, response capacity to cross-border crises, and investment in more robust health infrastructures and systems.
This initiative may have a significant impact on operators in the pharmaceutical, hospital, medtech, biotech, health insurance, logistics and critical supply chain sectors, as well as on entities active in third-country markets or participating in EU-funded health projects. In particular, it may pave the way for future measures on coordination, funding, procurement, capacity building and the definition of regulatory and strategic priorities in global health.
The team remains available for further information.
