EUCOPE Calls for a Strong European Health Resilience Framework

EUCOPE has published a new paper, Health Resilience: A Pillar of Societal Resilience, National Security and Civil-Military Cooperation, setting out six recommendations to strengthen Europe’s preparedness for future health emergencies.

“The next health crisis will not wait for us to be ready. Europe must invest now in the capabilities, partnerships and industrial capacity needed to respond to health threats of various sources, that can quickly evolve into wider societal and security challenges.” Alexander Natz, EUCOPE Secretary General.

The paper calls for sustained investment and closer cooperation among all stakeholders to create a health resilience framework linking EU and national levels, capable of addressing priority health threats, including pandemic and epidemic risks, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Recommendations include:

• Promote a whole-of-society approach to health preparedness, including enhanced civil-military cooperation in preparedness against health threats.
• Enable predictable financing and multiannual partnerships supporting innovation and industrial readiness, particularly for small and mid-sized companies.
• Align EU and national medical countermeasure strategies, combining stockpiles with contractually reserved manufacturing capacity.
• Strengthen alignment between national preparedness capabilities, with common readiness standards and flexibility for country-specific risks.
• Enhance healthcare provider readiness, supported by appropriate tools, training and availability of medical countermeasures.
• Adopt clear, evidence-based public communication to build trust, strengthen individual preparedness and counter misinformation.

Together, these recommendations aim to embed health resilience in the wider security agenda across Europe, ensuring that essential capabilities are continuously maintained and ready to activate when crises arise.

Download the Position Paper here.