“We need to have the flexibility to respond to health crisis and, therefore, if we are able to declare an emergency situation at EU level this would immediately allow for the transfer of equipment, carrying out of joint purchases and implementing measures by the Commission”, said the European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, in an interview with several European news agencies, including Lusa News Agency.

“We have to be able to do that. The new rules that we are going to create for a European Health Union will allow us to activate the EU's emergency response mechanism, of course in close cooperation with WHO, but not depending on WHO”, said the European Commissioner.

This is one of the proposals presented by the European Commission for the creation of a “true European Health Union”, after the difficulties felt in recent months due to covid-19, in a package that also expect the reinforcement of the mandates of the European Prevention Center and Disease Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the creation of a new authority to manage future health crises.