Health Emergency Response at EU Level – Are There Legal Constraints?

This article explores the constraints of actions at the European Union (EU) level in the field of health emergency preparedness and response. It argues that although the EU has found a way to be better prepared for future public health emergencies, it is not without limitations due to the nature of the emergency legal basis upon which it relies. The appropriateness of health emergency measures is not assessed on a standalone basis (in terms of saving lives) but is to be assessed in the overall context of their appropriateness to the economic situation. Only the next public health emergency will show whether this is sufficient to take effective and efficient health emergency measures.