EU health authority

Rendi-Wagner spoke at hearing on vaccinations

Former politician Pamela Rendi-Wagner is now Director of the EU health authority ECDC.(Bild: zVg, SEPA.Medien/Martin Juen, Krone KREATIV)

Former SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner attended her hearing before the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday. The new director of the ECDC health authority spoke about vaccinations. Confidence in their effectiveness must be restored, said Rendi-Wagner.

The population should be able to make "informed decisions". This would require country-specific campaigns, among other things. In general, vaccination rates in the EU need to increase again, said the former health minister and ex-SPÖ leader. The coronavirus pandemic had brought the importance of health policy back into people's consciousness and the EU health authority ECDC had played an important role in this by providing politicians with data.

Here you can see a photo of Rendi-Wagner's hearing.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is responsible for the prevention and control of infectious diseases in the EU. Rendi-Wagner was introduced as the new head of the authority at the end of February. Before taking office, the epidemiologist had to make a statement to the European Parliament and answer questions from the Health Committee.

Worked in the department for ten years
After studying medicine, the former SPÖ politician worked in the field of tropical medicine and infectious diseases for almost ten years. From 2011 to 2017, she was Director General for Public Health. During this time, she had already served on the ECDC Board of Directors for six years. From March to December 2017, Rendi-Wagner was Minister of Health and Women's Affairs under Federal Chancellor Christian Kern (SPÖ), and from November 2018 to June 2023 she was SPÖ Federal Party Chairwoman.