The COVID-19 crisis and the rise of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

European institutionalisation of public health policy has never been more topical than in the COVID-19 era. One European agency has come to the fore: the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Historically, the ECDC's mandate has expanded only gradually and the management of transboundary health crises has remained ultimately in the hands of Member States. The unprecedented severity of COVID-19 has led the European Commission to propose an extension of the ECDC's mandate. This study assesses the expansion of the formal and informal mandates of the ECDC over 15 years to contextualise the catalytic impact of COVID-19. It is found that while institutional change occurs in the aftermath of a transboundary health crisis, it builds on a long-term process of gradual institutionalisation that is accelerated by the crisis acting as a catalyst but not fully determined by it.

Automated summary

The institutionalization of European public health policy has become increasingly important in the era of COVID-19, with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) playing a key role. The severity of COVID-19 has led to a proposal for expanding the mandate of the ECDC, with the crisis acting as a catalyst for institutional change. However, the expansion of ECDC's formal and informal mandates is part of a longer-term process of gradual institutionalization, rather than being fully determined by the crisis.