First announced by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her 2025 State of the Union address, the GHRI came as a surprise to many stakeholders and even to some within the Commission. It also comes amid shifting geopolitical and public health dynamics. The US withdrawal from the WHO, alongside cuts to international health funding, signals its retreat from global health leadership. At the same time, the resurgence of infectious diseases, including polio, is becoming increasingly concerning, while climate change is expanding the reach of diseases like malaria. As we all know, health crises do not remain contained – they spill across borders and sectors, quickly evolving into economic and security challenges. Thus, health resilience is increasingly seen as essential to competitiveness, economic stability, and strategic autonomy.
Against this merry backdrop, the GHRI seeks to position the EU as a global health leader ‘as others step back’. It aims to boost prevention, preparedness, and response efforts, as well as close gaps in health system resilience. It builds on existing health resilience measures and proposes a framework for faster, more coordinated crisis response through multilateral cooperation, while strengthening EU strategic autonomy and competitiveness and supporting partners in advancing their own health sovereignty.
To deliver this, the initiative sets five priorities. The first two focus on reducing fragmentation in global health governance and diversifying supply chains while scaling up manufacturing of critical health products. The next two address collective preparedness, prevention, and crisis response alongside support for countries building resilient and sustainable health systems. The fifth is advancing evidence-based health literacy to counter the spread of mis- and disinformation.
These key priorities are to be achieved through nine flagship measures to be implemented at regional, national, and international levels between 2026 and 2027. Among the most notable is the accelerated rollout of EU investment instruments. This aims to strengthen diversified and resilient global supply chains for essential health products while scaling up manufacturing capacity, thereby supporting the development of local infrastructure and skills, and creating employment. Complemented by increased private sector engagement, the accelerated rollout creates incentives for companies already active in or considering entry into emerging markets. It also aligns with the EU’s evolving approach, where cost is no longer the sole determining factor in funding decisions.
Additional actions aim to deepen partnerships, strengthen clinical research networks, and improve the sharing of expertise on the production, procurement, and access to key health products. A global tracker will map health expenditure worldwide. The GHRI also prioritises medical countermeasures, vaccine production, and pandemic preparedness, potentially driving sustained demand for innovation in diagnostics and therapeutics and providing greater predictability for companies.
So, to sum it up, how should we make sense of the GHRI? The prescription looks promising, though not without side effects. On the one hand, the Global Health Resilience Initiative appears to be just what the doctor ordered, channelling funding into strengthening supply chains and scaling up manufacturing capacity. Beyond this, the initiative seeks to enhance clinical research networks, establish a global tracker to map health expenditure, and bolster response capacity through medical countermeasures. On the other hand, it may prove a somewhat bitter pill, with side effects including increased regulatory scrutiny or expectations around supply chain security.
Nevertheless, the GHRI reflects a broader EU understanding that health resilience is interconnected with economic stability, geopolitics, and industrial policy. It underscores the EU’s ambition to lead globally. For now, the GHRI is perhaps best seen as "a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down." Whether it ultimately proves just what the doctor ordered will depend on administration.
Contact: Cara Joane Rogers, (BPI Office Brussels), bpi.brussels@bpi.de
Note: The photo may be used free of charge, provided that ″Shutterstock_Zolak″ is credited as the source and it is used in conjunction with the Brussels Background.