# Is Europe ready for the next pandemic?

> Five years after Covid, the EU assesses its preparedness for future health crises amid questions about coordination and innovation priorities.
- Title: Is Europe ready for the next pandemic? · POLITICO | Shortify
- Summary: Five years after Covid, the EU assesses its preparedness for future health crises amid questions about coordination and innovation priorities. A POLITICO…
- Keywords: pandemic preparedness, covid-19, health emergency, hera, biotech, drug prices, politics, world, Europe, ready, next, pandemic
- Source: POLITICO — https://politico.eu/podcast/brussels-playbook-podcast/is-the-eu-ready-for-the-next-pandemic
- Published: 2026-10-09T02:15:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: eu, pandemic preparedness, covid-19, health emergency, hera, biotech, drug prices, politics, world
## Five years on from Covid
POLITICO host Sarah Wheaton, health reporter Helen Collis and global health expert Michel Kazatchkine discuss how much better prepared the EU is for the next health crisis.
## What the EU promised after Covid
The discussion examines what became of Brussels' post-Covid ambitions, including the EU's HERA health-emergency authority and better coordination of research efforts across member states.
## Competing pressures on Europe
As Brussels tries to compete with the U.S. and China on biotech and new medicines, it faces Donald Trump's push to bring down US drug prices by putting pressure on Europe to pay more.
## Key takeaway

A POLITICO podcast examines whether the EU has improved its pandemic readiness since Covid, exploring health authority reforms, research coordination, and whether Europe is developing medicines patients actually need.