Signing of an International Pandemic Treaty

Question for written answer  E-001877/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Joanna Kopcińska (ECR)

On 30 March of this year, 23 heads of governments and international agencies, gathered at an extraordinary joint meeting on tackling the pandemic, expressed the desire for closer further collaboration in relation to the pandemic. On the same day, the WHO published its report on the origin of the virus, calling for more in-depth additional research and studies into this issue. In order to address the opinions that had been voiced, the European Council proposed negotiating a new pandemic treaty. The treaty would be negotiated under the joint aegis of the WHO and the UN, since it would also affect areas not related to health, such as trade, finance, transport, biodiversity and environmental protection and law enforcement.

The main aim of the treaty would be preparedness and a faster response in the event of a pandemic.

• 1.How will the Commission remain in continuous dialogue with the European Council in terms of how the Council’s position represents the interests of all of the Member States?
• 2.Does the Commission have a report or assessment that would give an opinion on the current collaboration between European institutions and the WHO, FAO and OIE, and how does the Commission assess the backbone of the current legal frameworks in terms of future collaboration in the context of the new treaty?
• 3.In the Commission’s opinion, which areas of collaboration do not sufficiently address the current problems related to the promotion of a multi-sector response to a public health threat?