The Diplomat
The Generalitat and Barcelona City Council have made initial contacts with a view to the Catalan capital becoming the headquarters of the future European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (Hera), sources from the Catalan Ministry of Health and Barcelona City Council were quoted by Europa Press yesterday.
Following the coronavirus pandemic, the European Commission decided in November 2020 to promote the creation of this agency, which could become operational in 2023 and will serve to “strengthen coordination” of the European Union in the face of major cross-border health emergencies.
Last week, the acting Minister of Health, Alba Vergés, and the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, agreed to promote the candidacy and set in motion the process to present it to the European Commission.
The Catalan government has already informed the Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Arancha González Laya, of its desire for Barcelona to host the Hera.
They defended the fact that Catalonia has the “most dynamic life sciences and health ecosystem in Spain and one of the most active in Europe”: it has more than 1,200 companies and 90 research and innovation entities and represents 7.3% of GDP and 6.6% of employment in the autonomous community.
