06/04/2021
THE AFTERMATH OF THE COVID CRISIS: AN INTERNATIONAL TREATY?
J.R. Iturriagagoitia, LLM
Whereas trustworthy press and media coverage keeps public attention mainly on the short-term effects of the COVID crisis, there is need to figure out also its mid- and long-term perspective, irrespective of the present-time tragic statistics about casualties, reported daily from most countries around the world. For a technical, impartial evaluation of such effects, reliable data are missing. However, a political stand on general pandemics-related issues is reaching the stage of being approachable, to say the least.
As a matter of fact, a first tangible proposal has already emerged in the field of international relations. An implicit call for planetary unity among sovereign countries contemplates specifically drafting and adopting an international treaty for “pandemic preparedness and response”. The initiative has won unanimous support from concerned civil society associations, and from the President of the EU Council, Charles Michel as acknowledged by the WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, among others. As of 30 March 2021, the first joint statement between the WHO and the EU on a prospective treaty has been signed by 25 heads of State/government, including Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine.
This state of affairs leaves international observers optimistic.
Firstly, in view of the WHO experience in regulating and dealing with similar public health emergencies of international concern the outlook is quite positive. Useless to recall here various health emergencies that were satisfactorily worked out in the recent past on the basis of the WHO International Health Regulations.
Secondly, the EU will be able to contribute its experience from a regional (i.e. EU-wide) perspective which conforms to principles set out in the WHO policies, including its International Health Regulations, as mentioned above. In fact, the EU Health Policy goes unsurprisingly far beyond the strict boundaries of WHO instruments.
Thirdly, within the EU institutions and its Member States the impact of personal data protection rules on transnational health issues has given rise to not-entirely coordinated health policies/rules adopted at the regional and national level within its territory. For travelers across the EU Internal Market the reality is that they have to face at present a patchwork of conflicting rules emanating from numerous national and/or regional administrations.
We are thus at the beginning of a new era for the management of supranational public health emergencies. This can possibly be labelled as the only positive outcome of the current Covid crisis. ©
