A robust global health surveillance and an improved European pandemic information gathering system, based on comparable data; clear and coordinated scientific advice to inform decision-making at policy level; annual "State of preparedness” reports are among the ten lessons mentioned in the communication for a European approach to be better prepared for the next emergency of this type. In addition, measures at national level are also highlighted, like the need for Member States to strengthen the overall resilience of health care systems as part of their recovery and resilience investments.

The communication is explicit about shortfalls of the reaction to Covid19 in the early days of the current pandemic: "there was a clear shortfall in pandemic preparedness and planning, with few tools already in place to respond swiftly and effectively as soon as the pandemic broke out. This was true at global, European, national and local level but was perhaps more acutely felt in Europe". At the same time, the communication stresses that the moment Member States and the Commission started working together, things improved spectacularly: unilateral decisions made way for coordinated responses as seen in the common approach in developing and producing vaccines, the Green Lane initiative to ensure supplies of food and medicine across Europe, the launch of NextGenerationEU, common standards to monitor infection rates, just to mention some.