The EU Health Task Force, supporting preparedness and response in the European Union and globally

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic revealed shortcomings in the European Union (EU) mechanisms for managing public health threats. In 2022, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) was mandated to establish the EU Health Task Force (EUHTF) to strengthen preparedness and response at country, EU and global levels. The EUHTF is coordinated by an ECDC Permanent Capacity and relies on pools of experts including ECDC experts, ECDC fellows and European public health experts that can be mobilized for specific assignments or broad public health emergencies. Members from EU/ Economic European Area (EEA) countries, EU agencies, the European Commission, WHO and non-profit organizations advise ECDC on the EUHTF establishment. From May 2023 to April 2024, the EUHTF addressed 13 requests for support from seven EU countries and three non-EU countries. The requests were related to preparedness (e.g. after-action reviews, simulation exercises, mass gathering preparation, capacity building) and emergency response activities (e.g. risk assessment, operational research during crisis, emergency and outbreak response). The EUHTF is operational and able to mobilize expertise from ECDC, the ECDC fellowship and EU/EEA countries. The EUHTF Pool of External Experts, comprised of public health professionals across various levels and institutions of the EU/EEA, is poised to offer comprehensive and robust expertise. Through these resources, the EUHTF is collaborating with and reinforcing the work of EU institutions and other international partners in strengthening preparedness and response. The EUHTF is a new and structured EU-level approach to public health crises, ensuring tailored in-country support to EU and non-EU countries in preparedness strengthening and crisis response.