EU seeks greater public health powers after Covid 'wake-up call'

European commission says giving EU health agencies more power will improve response to cross-border health threats

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Brussels is seeking a major shift in powers towards the EU's health agencies, warning that Europe's faltering approach to the coronavirus pandemic has caused confusion and distrust".

The EU commissioner for health, Stella Kyriakides, said the bloc's lack of readiness for the crisis had meant substandard care for patients and left medics without access to vital resources.