What is the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control's role in Europe's network of global health actors? : An interview with Director Marc Sprenger
In May this year, Dr. Marc Sprenger began his five year term as Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The ECDC is an agency of the EU with a clear mandate - to strengthen Europe's defences against infectious diseases and threats of unknown origin. However, for many the ECDC is still something of a mystery. The name "ECDC" invites comparison to the better known CDC in Atlanta, and other new institutions like the CCDC, in China. While similar to these, the ECDC is different in very important ways, for example it has no laboratories. Furthermore, there are other health bodies in Europe, from national level institutes of health and tropical medicine, to the Regional Office of the World Health Organization - and many of them focus on fighting infectious diseases. In this hugely important area where exactly does the ECDC fit into this crowded network and what are its roles? Global Health Europe recently had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Marc Sprenger on his vision for ECDC, and the role this relatively new institution plays within the expanding network of European global health actors.
On Friday, 28 May 2010 Global Health Europe spoke with Dr. Mihaly Kökény, who the week prior had been elected the new Chair of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization. In conjunction with the World Health Assembly the Executive Board (EB) is the primary decision making body of the WHO. The WHO EB might be a crucial setting for determining the future course of global health governance and Global Health Europe was eager to learn the views of its new Chair.
Following the launch of the European Commission's Open Consultation on the EU Role in Global Health, I sat down with Dr. Juan Garay to find out more about the Commission's work toward a Communication on global health.
Drafting EU policy is a complicated process, and central to this process is active engagement with European citizens and relevent stakeholders. To accomplish this the Commission holds open consultations based on issue papers that are designed to identify the key areas and concerns which the future policy should address.
Dr. Garay is health team coordinator at the European Commission's Directorate General for Development Cooperation, also known as DG DEV, and he is one of the authors of the recent Issue Paper on the EU Role in Global Health -- a collaborative effort with his colleagues in the Commission's directorates for health as well as research. We discussed why a policy on the EU role in global health is necessary at present, how the Lisbon Treaty will impact the EU's role as a global health actor and what exactly Dr. Garay hopes to accomplish with this issue paper.
Dr. Nick Banatvala, Head of Global Affairs, UK Department of Health, on the EU Role in Global Health and the challenge of making across-government policy
Global Health Europe sat down with Dr. Nick Banatvala just following the launch of the European Commission's open consultation on the EU Role in Global Health. We discussed his views of the added value the EU brings as a global health actor and the challenges that his team faced in the UK when they where drafting their across government strategy for global health.
Mrs. Zsuzsanna Jakab, Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, on H1N1, the EU in Europe and the EU as a global health actor
Shortly after Mrs Zsuzsanna Jakab was confirmed as the Regional Director Elect for the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, she sat with Global Health Europe to discuss how the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), a new agency of the European Union for which she was Director for its first 5 years, was performing in the recent H1N1 pandemic. She also shares her insights on the role of the EU within the greater European Region and her wishes for the EU's new policy on the EU Role in Global Health.
Open Think Tank 
20 August 2010
On Friday, 28 May 2010 Global Health Europe spoke with Dr. Mihaly Kökény, who the week prior had been elected the new Chair of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization. In conjunction with the World Health Assembly the Executive Board (EB) is the primary decision making body of the WHO. The WHO EB might be a crucial setting for determining the future course of global health governance and Global Health Europe was eager to learn the views of its new Chair.