Inside EU Health: Pandemic agreement delayed; OECD puts a price on poor mental health; Epi+ preparedness; mpox
‘Last piece of the puzzle’ in the WHO pandemic agreement delayed to 2027; ; OECD puts €76 billion price tag on the poor mental health in the EU; Epi+ live will go live in June 2027ECDC launch monthly mpox surveillance report
‘Last piece of the puzzle’ in the WHO pandemic agreement delayed to 2027
Negotiations over the pandemic treaty’s final unresolved issue - the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system - ended in stalemate despite an additional week of talks.
Although the World Health Organization Pandemic Agreement was adopted in 2025, ratification depends on reaching agreement on this final element crucial to those in lower-income countries.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisted that “real progress was made” and described the PABS annex as “the last piece of the puzzle,” warning that “the next pandemic is a matter of when, not if.” Brazilian co-chair Tovar da Silva Nunes said negotiators had shown “precision and dedication,” while British co-chair Matthew Harpur praised states’ “strong and continuing commitment.”
However, divisions remain sharp between lower-income countries and wealthier nations, particularly the European Union. Advocacy groups, including Third World Network and AIDS Healthcare Foundation, accused developed countries of resisting equitable benefit-sharing rules. Negotiators will resume discussions in July 2026.
Catherine Feore
OECD puts €76 billion price tag on the poor mental health in the EU
Mental ill health is costing the European Union an estimated €76 billion annually in healthcare spending and is projected to reduce GDP by an average of 1.7% each year between 2025 and 2050, according to a new OECD report supported by the European Union.
The report, ‘The Economic Case for Preventing Mental Ill Health’, highlights the growing social and economic burden of anxiety, depression and alcohol use disorders across Europe, warning that more than one in five people across OECD and EU countries are now affected by mental health conditions.
6% of EU healthcare expenditure
The OECD estimates that poor mental health accounts for around 6% of total health expenditure across the EU, with costs driven not only by mental health treatment itself but also by the way mental disorders worsen physical health conditions, leading to more complex and expensive care.
The report identifies six evidence-based interventions that could improve outcomes if implemented at scale across primary healthcare, workplaces and schools. From digital mental health support tools to combined psychotherapy and medication for severe depression.
The report projects that scaling up interventions could reduce healthcare expenditure, but that even the most effective intervention would reduce mental-health-related healthcare costs by only around 4%. The report calls for broader action beyond healthcare, including policies that address the social and economic determinants of mental ill health.
Epi+ live will go live in June 2027
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has outlined the rollout of Epi+, a new open-source surveillance platform designed to strengthen Europe’s preparedness for emerging health threats.
The platform is currently being piloted in eight countries: Croatia, Greece, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway and Portugal. Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Malta, Montenegro and Spain are observers.
Epi+ is intended to support national public health authorities with the detection, assessment and co-ordination of responses to infectious diseases and other cross-border health threats.
Speaking at an event in Luxembourg ECDC Head of the Global Epidemic Intelligence and Health Security Section, Gianfranco Spiteri said: “The Epi+ community is not just implementing a tool, it is building together a common approach for event-based surveillance in Europe.”
ECDC Director Pamela Rendi-Wagner said: “Reliable, timely and shared information is the backbone of early warning and response.”
The EU approach to Epi+ is governed by four founding principles: digital sovereignty, open-source licensing under the European Union Public License, recognition of Epi+ as a digital public good, and full national authority control over health data.
ECDC launch monthly mpox surveillance report
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has launched a new monthly mpox surveillance report, highlighting continued transmission of clade I mpox across Europe. Data up to March 2026 show that while cases slightly declined after peaking in January, transmission remains active in several EU/EEA countries. In February, 11 countries reported 78 clade I cases, while March saw 80 cases across 10 countries. Clade II cases, however, declined significantly during early 2026.
Between April 2025 and March 2026, the EU/EEA recorded 336 confirmed clade I cases and 1,016 clade II cases. Most infections occurred among men who have sex with men. The ECDC stressed the importance of increasing vaccination coverage and strengthening public health outreach, particularly for gay, bisexual, and transgender communities and other at-risk groups.