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European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Remarks by Olivér VÁRHELYI, European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, during the press conference following the informal meeting of Health Ministers via video conference on Ebola on 5 June 2026 Brussels, 5 June 2026 Thank you very much. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. As you know, on 17 May, the World Health Organization determined the latest outb...
European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Remarks by Olivér VÁRHELYI, European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, during the press conference following the informal meeting of Health Ministers via video conference on Ebola on 5 June 2026 Brussels, 5 June 2026 Thank you very much. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. As you know, on 17 May, the World Health Organization determined the latest outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The outbreak caused by this strain of the virus poses a serious, unusual cross-border risk in the affected areas, and that requires coordinated international action to contain the virus and, of course, to protect public health. Today, we exchanged with Member States' health ministers to outline our response - the EU response so far - and we have also discussed the potential next steps. First and foremost, I want to reiterate that we are in regular contact with the international partners: the World Health Organization and the Africa CDC. Our aim is very clear, and it has also been confirmed by the ministers: we need to support the region. We need to ensure that our response efforts on the ground are meaningful and supported by the European Union, and that information also flows quickly to the relevant national authorities, so that we can stay vigilant. At the same time, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the ECDC, still considers - and this has also been confirmed today - the risk of infection for the general public in the EU to be very low. This has been confirmed today as well. But, of course, low risk does not mean no action. We must remain vigilant, prepared and coordinated, and at the same time we must support the affected countries to be able to contain the outbreak at source. On preparedness, we know that the virus does not respect borders. With this in mind, we have been building up our health security and crisis preparedness mechanisms in recent years, as you have seen. And we are now much better prepared at EU level to deal with health threats like this. The health security framework that the Commission has put in place since 2020 clearly addresses the lessons learned from COVID-19. Since then, we have strengthened the mandates of the European Medicines Agency and also the mandate of the ECDC. We have also reinforced the coordinating role of the Health Security Committee on EU action. It is very important to stay vigilant and be able to take measures at speed. Coordination must be effective every day, and we need to be able to respond immediately should the situation worsen. The EU and its Member States have responded very quickly. I can list some of the key actions that we have taken. We, as Commission, have been coordinating the EU's response through the Health Security Committee, which is meeting regularly to monitor the situation. It last met yesterday. On 22 May, the Health Security Committee issued an opinion with guidance and recommendations to the Member States. This is something that we reflected on today. The opinion outlines recommendations for risk communication and travel-related measures, including the importance of effective exit screening, which is probably the most important measure. It also covers infection prevention and control protocols, preparedness for healthcare settings, especially by updating infection prevention and control protocols, and also preparing the necessary isolation and treatment facilities and the training of healthcare professionals. At this stage, the Health Security Committee does not recommend screening of travellers on arrival into the European Union or to the EEA countries. It also does not recommend additional specific travel measures in the EU or at EEA level. Nevertheless, it was also confirmed today by the ministers that it is of utmost importance that incoming travellers are closely monitored. As discussed today, the recommendation still stands. The ECDC published a threat assessment on 21 May, containing laboratory guidance and also proposed case definitions to prepare surveillance in case imported cases are detected. The ECDC also deployed its expertise at the Africa CDC headquarters, through the EU Health Task Force, to support cooperation and also the operational planning of operations on the ground. The European Reference Laboratory for Public Health on emerging rodent-borne and zoonotic viral pathogens, based in Sweden, has also been activated. It is also supporting diagnostics of this strain of the virus with testing protocols and advice related to biorisk management. We are also helping countries with direct flights to provide clear guidance for those travelling, including NGOs, humanitarian workers and healthcare professionals returning from the affected regions. And in that coordination we also include the air industry. So the airports and the airlines are also part of our coordination efforts. Of course, we continue to stand in solidarity with the affected region. We are mobilising our aid and logistics, and also expert support on the ground. We have allocated, as EU and Member States, already €15 million to direct response plans, and immediate support on the ground is arriving. We are also channelling additional support through existing programmes and partnerships in the region. This includes investment in strengthening health manufacturing capacities in Africa, leveraging up to €2 billion through the Team Europe Initiative. We are also supporting health security and surveillance preparedness in the region, together with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. While there is no vaccine, as of today, for this strain of the virus, we are also working very closely with the EMA to be able to create one rather rapidly. We are working also at international level on this, together with CEPI, Gavi and the Pandemic Fund, to accelerate the research and development of vaccines and also to ensure equitable access to them, together with treatments and diagnostics. I think that today's discussion was very important to reflect on our preparedness, but also to have a ministerial-level exchange of views on the next steps. The Ministers have been very clear that we should continue the work as we have started. And at this stage, they consider all the measures that have been taken to be sufficient. With this, I thank you and I am happy to answer any questions. SPEECH/26/1288
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