LegalizeCommission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1536 of 29 July 2025 setting out the procedure concerning the mobilisation of the enhanced emergency capacity of the EU Health Task Force
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 851/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 establishing a European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (1), and in particular Article 11a(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (‘the ECDC’) has established the EU Health Task Force (‘the EUHTF’), which comprises a permanent capacity and an enhanced emergency capacity to support prevention of, preparedness for and response to epidemics.
(2) The permanent capacity coordinates all activities of the EUHTF and manages the EUHTF procedures, working modalities, objectives, tasks and annual work planning. The enhanced emergency capacity serves to leverage to the maximum extent all the resources within the EUHTF, namely both the permanent capacity and the pool of experts, to facilitate the response to a public health emergency at Union level.
(3) If the Commission recognises a public health emergency at Union level pursuant to Article 23(1) of Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2), the enhanced emergency capacity is to be mobilised following a joint request by the Member States and the Commission. This mobilisation should be carried out by the ECDC.
(4) The mobilisation of the enhanced emergency capacity aims to facilitate the EUHTF response during a public health emergency at Union level by the involvement of the EUHTF experts additional to the permanent capacity and their assistance to the Member States that submit a request for assistance. Such assistance can include the deployment of EUHTF experts in those Member States or remote support.
(5) During a public health emergency at Union level, Member States and the Commission should consult each other within the Health Security Committee referred to in Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 on the need to request mobilisation of the enhanced emergency capacity.
(6) Once the enhanced emergency capacity is mobilised, any Member State should be able to submit a request for assistance to the ECDC. The ECDC should inform the Health Security Committee and the Commission about requests for assistance received from the Member States.
(7) The ECDC should periodically inform the Health Security Committee and the Commission about the main outcomes of the activities performed by the enhanced emergency capacity assisting the Member States.
(8) The procedure provided for in this Regulation is in accordance with the opinion of the Committee on serious cross-border threats to health,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Following the recognition of a public health emergency at Union level in accordance with Article 23(1) of Regulation (EU) 2022/2371, Member States and the Commission shall consult each other within the Health Security Committee referred to in Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 to assess the need to request the mobilisation of the enhanced emergency capacity.
If at least two Member States and the Commission agree on the need to request the mobilisation of the enhanced emergency capacity, the Commission shall without delay submit a joint request for mobilisation to the ECDC and inform other relevant Union agencies as well as the Member States through the Health Security Committee of that joint request.
Article 2
Following receipt of the joint request in accordance with Article 1(2), the ECDC shall mobilise the enhanced emergency capacity and without delay inform all Member States through the Health Security Committee about the practical details for submitting requests for assistance from EUHTF experts to the ECDC.
The ECDC shall inform the Health Security Committee and the Commission about the Member States’ requests for assistance from EUHTF experts. The ECDC shall assess the needs for assistance and coordinate with the Commission and the Health Security Committee to prioritise the requests received, thereby taking into account the needs of the Member States that have requested assistance and the resources of the EUHTF.
Article 3
The mobilisation of the enhanced emergency capacity shall end with the termination of the public health emergency at Union level during which it was mobilised.
Article 4
The ECDC shall monitor all activities that are performed by the enhanced emergency capacity and shall prepare monthly reports to the Health Security Committee and the Commission about the main outcomes of the activities performed by the enhanced emergency capacity.
Article 5
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 29 July 2025.
For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN
(1) OJ L 142, 30.4.2004, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2004/851/oj.
(2) Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 November 2022 on serious cross-border threats to health and repealing Decision No 1082/2013/EU (OJ L 314, 6.12.2022, p. 26, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2371/oj).
Reading this document does not replace reading the official text published in the Official Journal of the European Union. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies arising from the conversion of the original to this format.