Original text
European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Remarks by Commissioner Síkela at the press conference on the Global Health Resilience Initiative Brussels, 13 May 2026 Good afternoon to all of you. I am very pleased to be in the press room today to present the Global Health Resilience Initiative. It was announced by the President in her State of the Union last September and has just been adopted by the College ...
European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Remarks by Commissioner Síkela at the press conference on the Global Health Resilience Initiative Brussels, 13 May 2026 Good afternoon to all of you. I am very pleased to be in the press room today to present the Global Health Resilience Initiative. It was announced by the President in her State of the Union last September and has just been adopted by the College today. Why does this matter to us? Given that the news cycle these days is not lacking crises or urgencies, I want to start exactly there: the Hantavirus outbreak last week on a cruise ship in the Atlantic. It was picked up because it reminded us all of our vulnerability when it comes to health. We all remember the impact of COVID-19 on our lives. The reality is that the frequency and intensity of disease outbreaks are increasing. The Global Health Resilience initiative is our answer to three hard truths. First, health threats do not respect borders; a health crisis anywhere is a risk everywhere. Preparedness pays off; investing now saves lives and money later. And third, dependency is really dangerous; no country should rely on a handful of suppliers, as health is no longer the preserve of doctors, but is even weaponised for geopolitical purposes. So, what is our plan? Our plan is to turn risk into opportunity, through a focus on 5 priorities with 9 concrete actions, each being a piece of the resilience puzzle. First, we need a more effective and less fragmented global health architecture. There are too many players, too many overlapping mandates. Work at global level is ongoing and we want to make sure the ambition is high. The EU is already driving this process and the Commission will further step up coordination with and between EU Member States as we pledge funding. Second, we need to support strong country-led health systems. That's the first line of defence and response. If the system falters at national level, it can spread. For our partners, it means more sovereignty and less dependency through sustainable financing and sharing expertise, with a focus on primary health care. Third, prevention, preparedness and response to global health threats and crises. Not everything can be left to the national level. Surveillance systems, laboratories, treatment capacity: there is strong case for global oversight and coordination to make sure we fill the gaps and that systems are ready. We will strengthen global networks for enhancing detection and preparedness, strengthen response capacity through our availability of medical countermeasures, and develop a global health and resilience tracker. Fourth, diversified supply chains. This means supporting the development and manufacturing of key health products in partner countries; promoting global partnership for knowledge exchange and clinical research networks for development of health products. Europe gains from stronger supply chains, our partners gain from investments in local infrastructure, skills and jobs, based on partnerships with EU companies. This is exactly what we are doing under Global Gateway, with a lot of success by the way. Fifth, societal resilience. We have seen that there is a higher risk of disinformation during health crises. We need to do more to safeguard the integrity of the information space. We need to foster trust in science and countering disinformation, misinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference. So, to conclude, we must keep health high on the global agenda, and we intend to shape the agenda. Today's initiative proves that the European Union is a principled, reliable and forward-looking global health partner. Up to end 2025, we have mobilised more than €6 billion for health and made it a key pillar of our Global Gateway investments. We bring a unique model to the table and a commitment to strengthen global health resilience. These proposals are practical, targeted and designed for impact. The real work, the collaboration, the investment, the action, starts basically now. Thank you. SPEECH/26/1079 Press contacts: Guillaume MERCIER (+32 2 29 80564) Luca DILDA (+32 2 29 52153) General public inquiries: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 67 89 10 11 or by email Related media Press conference by Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner, on the Global Health Resilience Initiative
Speech Brief