Coronavirus infection risk assessment: statements by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in February 2020 

Subject: Coronavirus infection risk assessment: statements by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in February 2020

On 3 February 2020 Andrea Ammon, executive director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), addressing a meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, stated that, with regard to the risk of the spread of COVID-19, the situation was under control in Europe and that the probability of it spreading from person to person in Europe was low.

Subsequently, at the ECDC meeting of 18 and 19 February 2020 in Stockholm, health experts discussed COVID-19 and maintained that the risks associated with the spread of the Coronavirus infection were low. In fact, by the end of February, Italy and other EU countries were already experiencing high rates of infection.

Given that ECDC is the EU agency tasked with strengthening Europe's defences against infectious diseases and that the very high rate of infection of the Coronavirus has triggered a very serious health and economic crisis in Italy and in many other countries of the EU and worldwide, will the Commission say:

Does it agree that the ECDC underestimated the danger posed by COVID-19 and consequently delayed analysing and communicating the risks of infection from the Coronavirus?

Will it lay down stricter guidelines for ECDC activities, in order to avoid any recurrence of this situation in future?

Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

(4 September 2020)

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has consistently made clear in its rapid risk assessments the uncertainties arising from lack of information on key aspects of COVID-19.

As further information has become available, ECDC has updated its risk assessments. The Commission considers the risk assessments provided by ECDC, including the one published on 31 January 2020 (1), which was referred to in the European Parliament Committee meeting on 3 February 2020 mentioned by the Honourable Member, as very useful and relevant to informing response measures.

The activities of ECDC are determined by its governing body as described in the founding regulation (2). The Commission is reflecting on lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic, which will help to look at all aspects of the response including the functioning of ECDC.

⋅1∙ https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/novel-coronavirus-risk-assessment-china-31-january-2020_0.pdf

⋅2∙ Regulation (EC) No 851/2004: establishing a European centre for disease prevention and control.