The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) initially underestimated the seriousness of the situation, according to a special report by the European Court of Auditors (ECA).
The ECDC, which is responsible for detecting and assessing health threats, published an assessment on January 9 that it was not considered very likely that the virus would be introduced into the EU. Around two weeks later, the first confirmed cases were reported in the EU. The ECDC also only admitted on March 12, 2020, that immediate measures were needed, three days after Italy had already imposed a national lockdown.
Missing test strategy
Risk assessments, guidelines and information intended for the public were sometimes issued too late, the Court of Auditors judged in its report. The work of the center was also hampered by a lack of an EU-wide testing strategy and a lack of approach to attributing corona-related deaths. This resulted in poor data quality, according to the information. More reliable methods such as analyses of virus concentrations in wastewater could have been used more frequently, the auditors emphasize.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA), which is responsible for authorising new medicines, responded generally well to the pandemic, according to the Court of Auditors, but failed to promote clinical trials in the EU.
Learning lessons from the pandemic
“Like many other institutions, the EU’s medical agencies were surprised by the force of the rapidly spreading corona pandemic,” says Joao Leao of the European Court of Auditors. Although the ECDC and the EMA ultimately managed the situation well, the pandemic has made existing deficiencies and gaps visible. Both institutions need a “booster”.
“Four years later, the lessons learned from the pandemic must now be effectively implemented at EU level to avoid history repeating itself,” says Leao. The Court of Auditors welcomes some of the measures taken since then, such as new pharmaceutical regulations.
However, the creation of a third medical agency has made the organizational framework with overlapping responsibilities even more complex. The European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) was established in 2021. However, according to the Court of Auditors, responsibilities partially overlap with those of the ECDC. The auditors therefore call for close cooperation to avoid duplication of work.
