The Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), the European Commission’s newest Directorate-General, has distinguished itself through a comparatively open and transparent strategy for stakeholder engagement. Its multi-layered setup, comprising advisory bodies from a wide range of stakeholders, demonstrates a commitment to participatory governance but also highlights the complexity and ambition of HERA’s mandate.
Stakeholder engagement is an important means through which policymakers can enhance legitimacy, democratic accountability, and access to specialised knowledge. However, such engagement is often criticised as symbolic: stakeholder engagement may give the appearance of transparency and responsiveness but offer stakeholders limited influence over policymaking.
This analysis looks at whether HERA’s participatory mechanisms truly support decision-making or mainly serve as symbolic tools to project an image of responsiveness and legitimacy. It focuses on stakeholder engagement with Member States, civil society, and industry. It assesses engagement in terms of regularity, transparency, communication, and feedback.
Key areas for improvement include clarifying HERA’s role, mandate, and powers, enhancing the quality of communications, and strengthening feedback mechanisms. Implementing measures in these areas will enable HERA to transform its innovative stakeholder engagement from the symbolic to the meaningful. It will also ensure that stakeholders’ expectations are met, build trust, and improve collaboration, thereby maximising the impact of HERA’s preparedness and response activities.
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