The day began with an introduction and framing session by Project Manager Anna Nyqvist from the National Board of Health and Welfare (Sweden) and Chief Specialist Minna Manner-Lehtinen from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), setting the objectives and expectations for the meeting. This was followed by country presentations, in which eight JA Stockpile partner countries shared insights into their national legislation and governance structures, outlining current frameworks related to the deployment and use of medical countermeasures (MCMs).
The presentations highlighted both similarities and differences across national systems. While governance structures and legislative approaches vary, participants identified several shared challenges—not only within the systems themselves, but also in the process of mapping and analysing them. At the same time, the discussions highlighted a shared direction for future work, with collaboration within JA Stockpile supporting alignment across countries.
The presentations were followed by a Q&A session, offering participants the opportunity to reflect on the findings and explore key issues in greater depth. Based on these discussions, several common themes were identified for further examination.
In the afternoon, participants took part in interactive workshop sessions designed to deepen the analysis of shared challenges and opportunities. The sessions included a “world café” exercise, where participants rotated between thematic discussions focusing on a comparative matrix, a flowchart, and synergies between WP9 and other work packages. The workshop concluded with a plenary discussion, bringing together insights from all groups.
The meeting resulted in a clearer overall picture of national situations and confirmed that many challenges are shared regardless of country size or structure. This provides a solid basis for moving forward with the next phases of the work. The workshop also marked the joint kick-off for Tasks 9.2–9.4, setting the stage for continued collaboration.
WP9, which focuses on the deployment and use of medical countermeasures (MCMs) within and beyond the EU, is currently compiling country-specific data for MS19. The report is expected to be published later this spring. The insights gathered during the workshop will contribute to this work, supporting the comparison of national approaches and the identification of effective legislative frameworks for MCM deployment.