The Commission welcomes the Council Decision adopted today authorising the opening of negotiations between the Commission and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein on health emergency measures in the area of medical countermeasures.
Such agreements would cover both current and potential future health emergency measures at the EU level, which go beyond the scope of the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement and would cover actions related to ensuring the availability of medical countermeasures in the event of a public health emergency at Union level. While preparedness and response to serious cross-border threats to health are covered by existing legislation under the EEA Agreement, emergency health measures in the field of medical countermeasures involve policy mechanisms that are currently largely excluded from its scope. The negotiations on the new agreement with the EEA European Free Trade Association States would therefore enable closer collaboration in the area excluded from the EEA Agreement.
Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management said: “Cross-border health threats do not recognise borders. The COVID-19 pandemic showed us the real value of closer coordination and collaboration in protecting public health. Discussions can now begin on bridging the gap between the EU and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein to ensure access to crisis-relevant medical countermeasures during public health emergencies. By working more closely together, we can avoid human and economic costs, reduce disruptions to the internal market, and better protect the health of our citizens. In health emergencies, partnerships are essential.”
On 18 September 2024, the Commission adopted a recommendation inviting the Council to authorise the opening of negotiations. With today’s decision, the Commission now has the mandate to negotiate on behalf of the Union one or more agreements on health emergency measures in medical countermeasures.
