In a document to be sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday, and seen by POLITICO, France — supported by 10 other countries — warns: “Merging or attaching DG HERA to another Commission DG would not guarantee the current system of governance which guarantees independent decision making, respect for the competencies of member states, and a high degree of stakeholder involvement.”
The countries are pushing to “preserve HERA’s current structure” — as an independent Directorate-General inside the European Commission — “which must not be dissolved.”
Much like the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the capitals say HERA’s work is just as important, adding: “In the current geopolitical context, it is essential for the EU to develop an autonomous structural capacity to prevent crises and respond to emergencies.”
France is joined by Germany, Spain, Belgium and Ireland in opposing the merger idea. Portugal, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Greece and Estonia are also on board.
The opposition first flared up Tuesday during a HERA board meeting, where capital representatives were present.
According to minutes of the meeting seen by POLITICO, Germany took to the floor, “despite not being on the agenda,” to raise concerns about the merger rumors. Germany was supported by France, whose rep encouraged other countries to support a paper they were preparing for von der Leyen.
One official, granted anonymity to speak candidly, suggested the merger is linked to the political horse-trading of competencies when Hungary’s Olivér Várhelyi was under consideration for health commissioner.
Political groups agreed in November to approve him as health commissioner but strip him of control of HERA. Instead, the authority was handed to Crisis Commissioner Hadja Lahbib.