Fighting antimicrobial resistance: AMR One-Health Network meets in Brussels today
date: 07/03/2019
Today, the EU AMR One-Health Network, chaired by the European Commission, meets in Brussels. Network members include representatives from public health and animal health sides from all 28 EU countries, Commission experts and EU agencies. The bi-annual EU AMR One-Health Network meetings provide its members with a platform to present national action plans and activities, share best practices, discuss policy options and enhance coordination. For the first time, NGOs active in the field are invited: the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME), the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) and the Council of European Dentists (CED) will present an initiative that they launched on One Health in undergraduate education.
At today's meeting, the Netherlands will present some of the work carried out in the context of the Joint Action on AMR and hospital acquired infections. Sweden will give a presentation on their measures in the field of infection prevention and control in human and animal healthcare, and Spain will present its national database for collection of data on antibiotics prescription. Some research-related activities will be presented, in particular on the Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance and the Danish initiative to establish an independent International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions. Denmark, Malta and the UK will present their national action plans. The day will conclude with the presentation by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) of the recently published European Union summary report on antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic and indicator bacteria from humans, animals and food.
Another meeting of the EU AMR One-Health Network will take place later this year.
EU Action Plan on AMR
In June 2017 the Commission adopted the new EU One Health Action Plan against AMR. This ambitious agenda builds on the previous action plan, focusing on activities with a clear EU added value and, where possible, on measurable and concrete outcomes. The key objectives are built on three main pillars:
- Making the EU a best practice region
- Boosting research, development and innovation
- Shaping the global agenda