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1. The Commission, in cooperation with Member States and the relevant Union agencies and bodies, and in accordance with the WHO emergency preparedness and response framework set out in the IHR, shall establish a Union health crisis and pandemic plan (‘the Union prevention, preparedness and response plan’) to promote an effective and coordinated response to cross-border threats to health at Union level.

2. The Union prevention, preparedness and response plan shall complement the national prevention, preparedness and response plans established in accordance with Article 6, and shall promote effective synergies between the Member States, the Commission, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and other relevant Union agencies or bodies.

3. The Union prevention, preparedness and response plan shall, in particular, include provisions on joint arrangements for governance, capacities and resources for:

(a) the timely cooperation between the Commission, the Council, the Member States, the HSC and the relevant Union agencies or bodies. The Union prevention, preparedness and response plan shall take into account the services and support potentially available under the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, and, in particular, the capacities under the rescEU stockpile as laid down in Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/570 or other mechanisms, the capacities and resources made available for its purposes by the Union and the Member States, and the cooperation with the WHO for cross-border threats to health;

(b) the secure exchange of information between the Commission, the Member States, in particular the competent authorities or designated bodies responsible at national level, the HSC and the relevant Union agencies or bodies;

(c) the epidemiological surveillance and monitoring;

(d) the early warning and risk assessment, especially regarding cross-border interregional preparedness and response;

(e) the risk and crisis communication, including to health professionals and citizens;

(f) the health preparedness and response and multi-sectoral collaboration, such as identifying risk factors for disease transmission and the associated disease burden, including social, economic and environmental determinants, following the One Health approach for zoonotic, food and waterborne diseases and relevant other diseases and related special health issues;

(g) the drawing up of an overview of the production capacities for relevant critical medical countermeasures in the Union as a whole to address serious cross-border threats to health as referred to in Article 2;

(h) emergency research and innovation;

(i) the management of the plan; and (j) support to Member States for the monitoring of the impact of a serious cross-border threat to health on the provision and continuity of healthcare services, including for other diseases and conditions during health emergencies.

4. The Union prevention, preparedness and response plan shall include cross-border interregional preparedness elements to support aligned, multi-sectoral, cross-border public health measures, in particular considering capacities for surveillance, testing, contact tracing, laboratories, training of healthcare staff and specialised treatment or intensive care across neighbouring regions. The Union prevention, preparedness and response plan shall take into account national respective circumstances and include preparedness and response means to address the situation of citizens with higher risks.

5. In order to ensure the implementation of the Union prevention, preparedness and response plan, the Commission shall facilitate, in collaboration with Member States and, when applicable, with relevant Union agencies or bodies or with international organisations, stress tests, simulation exercises and in-action and after-action reviews with Member States, and update the plan as necessary.

6. The Commission may provide technical assistance, at the Member States' request, to support the development of their staffing plans in order to address specific healthcare needs and facilitate exchange of staff between Member States in the event of a serious cross-border threat to health.

7. The reviews of and any subsequent adjustments to the plan shall be published.