EU's Global Health Strategy as Seen Through the Geneva Lens

Newsletter Edition #165 [The Friday Deep Dives]

Hi,

A few weeks ago, one of our influential readers alerted us that the EU global health strategy could be a decent barometer to measure the scale of EU ambition in global health negotiations in Geneva. Sure enough, there are ample indications of EU’s objectives in this strategy on the kinds of provisions it will push for in Geneva.

Most of all, the strategy shows the way ahead on investing and capitalising on the “health commodity” markets elsewhere.

COVID-19 has worsened the “access divide”. There are sellers and buyers. In plain terms, this strategy aims at bridging these actors in the global health marketplace. It talks about “advancing foreign policy and commercial goals through health”.

The answer to the question of what is global health, changes everyday. Can regional priorities be transposed onto global health?

We hope you find this edition useful. Write to us with your thoughts.

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Until later!

Best,

Priti

Feel free to write to us: patnaik.reporting@gmail.com or genevahealthfiles@protonmail.com; Follow us on Twitter: @filesgeneva

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I. ANALYSIS

EU's Global Health Strategy as Seen Through the Geneva Lens

The new EU global health strategy from the European Commission sits at the crossroads of health security and geopolitics. The strategy emerges at a critical juncture where the EU is battling a war, an energy crisis, a continuing pandemic. It is also trying to address an undeniable perception of its role in widening vaccine inequities witnessed during COVID-19, notwithstanding its key investments in global health agencies to meet the international response to the crisis.

The strategy seeks an even greater and an influential role for the European Union in shaping international health policy and future responses to health emergencies. It is understood that the strategy is a policy communication from the Commission, and will need to be supported and approved by political leaders at the EU level.  During its launch this week, the strategy seems to have been blessed by WHO DG Tedros who spoke at the event. (The Commission was one of top 5 donors to WHO in 2020-2021.)

While this strategy is not binding on EU member states, it nevertheless sets a direction for these discussions. And provides indications on key priorities areas for the EU in the context of the negotiations on the Pandemic Accord. The goals of this strategy will be seen in the on-going negotiations including on the amendments to the IHR, observers say.

Setting objectives leading up to 2030, it lists out three key priorities with supporting guiding principles and lines of action. The aspirations for the Commission and the member states are subject to their respective competences and institutional roles as provided for in the treaties, the strategy clarifies.

In this story we analyse key aspects of this strategy from a Geneva lens focusing on the implications for global health and for WHO.

Image Credit: Agnese Lunecka, Pexels