Feasibility study on digital technology for cross-border contact tracing : final report

Large scale cross-border contact tracing (CT) was conducted among European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries during the COVID-19 pandemic through the selective exchange module of the electronic EWRS (Early Warning and Response System) of the European Union (EU). The European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) commissioned a study to assess the lessons learned from the use of the EWRS and to identify future directions for cross-border CT. This was done by examining the processes and digital technologies that have been used at national, EU and international level for cross-border CT, and by identifying challenges and facilitators, including legal barriers. The Commission was interested in identifying areas where EU-support is needed, in line with the overall goal of contributing to the strengthening the EU's health security framework, and specifically assess the feasibility of linking national and EU-level digital CT technologies to the EWRS. The study was conducted by the EUHealthSupport consortium between June 2022 and July 2023.