The former health minister and ex-SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner has been nominated as the new director by the administrative board of the EU health authority ECDC. The Ministry of Health announced this in a broadcast on Wednesday. The epidemiologist was proposed for a five-year term. She is expected to succeed the German doctor Andrea Ammon in the post. Before her official appointment, Rendi-Wagner still needs to be confirmed by the European Parliament.
“I feel deeply honored and grateful to the Board of Directors for entrusting me with the role of Director of the ECDC,” said Rendi-Wagner, according to a statement from the ECDC after the nomination on Tuesday evening. “I look forward to taking up this position following the hearing in the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.”
The Management Board of the ECDC consists of one member appointed by each Member State, two members appointed by the European Parliament and three members representing the European Commission. Each member had one vote and Rendi-Wagner needed the support of two-thirds of the people. The ECDC explained that the vote was secret.
Responsible for preventing and combating infectious diseases
“The Board is confident that her experience, vision and plans will serve the Center well over the next five years. We look forward to her upcoming hearing in the European Parliament in March,” said Chair of the ECDC Board of Directors, Anni Virolainen- Julkunen, with. Rendi-Wagner has to make a statement to parliament and answer questions from MPs. The current director, Ammon, is retiring this June.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is largely responsible for the prevention and fight against infectious diseases in the EU and played a key role in combating the Covid-19 pandemic a central role, emphasized the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had actively supported the candidacy in recent months. She prevailed in the final selection against three other applicants.
Worked in the field of tropical medicine for ten years
After studying medicine, Rendi-Wagner worked in the field of tropical medicine and infectious diseases for almost ten years. From 2011 to 2017 she was Director General of 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 Health and Women’s Minister under Chancellor Christian Kern (SPÖ), and from November 2018 to June 2023 he was his successor as SPÖ federal party leader.
The current SPÖ boss Andreas Babler and SPÖ federal women’s chairwoman Eva-Maria Holzleitner congratulated in a broadcast: “Pamela Rendi-Wagner is a proven and highly recognized health expert. Thanks to her years of experience at home and abroad in the field of public health She is ideally qualified. FPÖ General Secretary Michael Schnedlitz, on the other hand, said that despite the selection process by all member states represented on the ECDC Board of Directors, the ex-SPÖ party leader was provided with a “system position”.
“Dr. Pamela Rendi-Wagner combines medical expertise on infectious diseases and political experience, which is extremely important for the management of an international authority,” said Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP). This means that the third EU agency will be under red-white-red leadership.
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