Recognition of public health emergencies at Union level
Article 23
1. For serious cross-border threats to health as referred to in Article 2(1), the Commission may, after considering any expert opinion issued by the ECDC, any other relevant Union agencies or bodies or the Advisory Committee referred to in Article 24, formally recognise a public health emergency at Union level, including pandemic situations where the serious cross-border threat to health in question endangers public health at Union level. 2. The Commission shall terminate the recognition referred to in paragraph 1 as soon as the condition pursuant to paragraph 1 is no longer met. 3. Before recognising a public health emergency at Union level, the Commission shall liaise with the WHO in order to share the Commission’s analysis of the situation of the outbreak and to inform the WHO of its intention to adopt such a decision. 4. The Commission shall adopt the measures referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article by means of implementing acts. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 29(2). On duly justified imperative grounds of urgency related to the severity of a serious cross-border threat to health or to the rapidity of its spread among Member States, the Commission may recognise a public health emergency at Union level pursuant to paragraph 1 of this Article through immediately applicable implementing acts in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 29(3).