ECDC Strategy 2021–2027

The ECDC Strategy 2021-2027 defines ECDC’s goals in the coming years to continue ensuring that decision-makers receive the necessary advice and scientific evidence to support changes in policy and practice in the area of communicable disease prevention and control. ECDC works in a close and coordinated way with EU/EEA Member States, EU Institutions, and several international partners, such as the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

It should be noted that the ECDC Strategy 2021-2027 is not a response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Evaluations and after-action reviews will be carried out at all levels and will provide lessons learned for all involved to be better prepared in the future. The findings of these reviews will likely reveal some areas for improvement, such as emergency preparedness, capacity-building, surveillance, and digitalisation of public health, which are already covered in the Strategy. Should future evaluations or new political priorities recommend changes to the mandate of ECDC or to the way the Centre operates, the Strategy will be adjusted accordingly. The mid-term review of the Strategy is foreseen for 2024.

Five Strategic Objectives cover areas from enhanced knowledge management and standardised methodologies, through to improved understanding of Member States’ needs to tailor ECDC’s disease-specific and generic public health activities accordingly, to an increased focus on climate change and digitalisation of public health. Furthermore, the Strategic Objectives include strengthened international collaboration with EU-neighbouring countries and major CDCs, including Africa CDC, in seamless partnership with its main stakeholders, such as EU Institutions and global partners such as WHO. The final objective – to transform the organisation into the next generation ECDC – determines the necessary organisational changes needed to reach the agreed Strategic Objectives.

ECDC Strategy 2021-2027 is directed at both external and internal audiences and is transformational in the sense that it gives a clear direction on the changes necessary for making ECDC’s work more impactful. The accompanying Strategic Roadmap will guide annual planning and resource allocation. In order to achieve this goal, a monitoring framework will be set up to gauge progress, adjust and put the actual impact of ECDC’s actions on record. Internally, the ECDC Strategy will help employees align around a common vision and shared objectives.