The Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), established in 2021, aims to strengthen the EU’s response to Covid-19 and potential future health crises. Global health security is one of HERA’s core mandates to support the EU’s leadership in global health.
This report provides an independent observation of HERA’s global health activities three years on from when it first began to operate, assessing its engagement with low- and middle-income countries between 2022 and 2024. It introduces a set of indicators to quantify HERA’s international activities, offering a baseline for tracking future progress.
The findings show that HERA has expanded its global efforts both in budget and scope. Its global health activities cover six key areas: intelligence gathering and threat assessment, research and development, production capacity, resource donations, cooperation agreements and an international instrument on health.
Looking ahead, HERA has affirmed its ambition to strengthen its global health activities by broadening its geographic reach and implementing the cooperation agreements concluded with strategic partners. As HERA’s international dimension develops, this report recommends more systematic and frequent monitoring and evaluation of its activities as well as a shift in the focus of HERA’s role from primarily financial contributions and advisory support for EU bodies towards a deeper involvement in technical cooperation with global partners.
About the Authors
Hien Vu is an Associate Researcher at the Global Governance, Regulation, Innovation and the Digital Economy (GRID) Unit at CEPS.
Marta Dell’Aquila is a Researcher in the Global Governance, Regulation, Innovation and Digital Economy (GRID) Unit at CEPS.