The assessment is part of a regular process under EU regulation, aimed at strengthening the prevention, preparedness and response capacities of EU and EEA Member States against serious cross-border health threats.

Assessment in Iceland 2025

The assessment took place from 2 to 6 June 2025 and was based on a review of relevant documentation and a country visit by an international team of experts. Sixteen capacity areas were assessed, including health emergency management, laboratory, surveillance, antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections, zoonotic diseases and environmental threats.

Key Findings

Iceland’s health system is a state-centred, publicly funded system with universal health coverage with strong intersectoral cooperation, enabling rapid information sharing and effective decision-making in response to various types of events.

Collaboration between the health and civil protection authorities is well integrated, particularly in relation to natural hazards. Public health preparedness and surveillance are largely coordinated at the national level, while response activities are carried out at both the regional and national levels. However, such activities are not always considered part of the responsibilities of healthcare staff, and districts do not always have sufficient human resources to dedicate to public health tasks. In addition, some public health roles could be better defined and formalised to ensure clear responsibilities and avoid overlaps.

Recommendations for Improvement

To strengthen Iceland’s public health and preparedness infrastructure, four key recommendations are put forward:

• Integrate public health into routine healthcare, including through greater involvement of district physicians and dedicated funding for these activities.

• Increase preparedness and response capacities within the office of the Chief Epidemiologist and among other public health actors, including through participation in European training programmes.

• Formalise existing informal collaboration within the national pandemic preparedness plan to ensure continuity, resilience and efficiency.

• Clarify roles and responsibilities at national and regional levels regarding surveillance, prevention, preparedness, response, quality assurance and evaluation.

The ECDC assessment is part of a three-year cycle covering all EU/EEA Member States between 2024 and 2026. The results and recommendations will be used to strengthen the preparedness and response capacities of Iceland’s health system to address future public health threats.

The Chief Epidemiologist

• Government of Iceland press release and link to the report (in English, Icelandic translation pending)

• Publication on ECDC website