The EU AMR One-Health Network, chaired by the European Commission, will hold an on-line meeting tomorrow, 25 March 2021. Network members include national representatives from the public health and animal health sectors, as well as experts from the Commission and EU scientific agencies. National representatives and experts from the environmental sector have, for the first time, also been invited. 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. This meeting will relaunch the EU AMR One-Health network, put to a halt since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic a year ago, which focused all efforts.

The meeting will be opened by Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, the Portuguese Minister of Agriculture, Maria do Céu Antunes, and the Chair of the MEP Interest Group on AMR, Sarah Wiener MEP.

The meeting will be an important opportunity for members of the EU AMR One-Health network to learn about and discuss the latest developments on AMR at international level, as conducted by the Quadripartite (WHO, FAO, OIE, UNEP) and within the G7, under the UK’s Presidency. The UK’s AMR Envoy, Dame Sally Davies, will present the latter.

The Commission will also give an overview of the latest developments in the EU’s fight against AMR, including what is planned under the recently adopted Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe, the European Health Union package and the future Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA). The latest progress on Veterinary Medicinal Products, Medicated Feed Regulations and Pharmaceuticals in the Environment will also be discussed. 

The afternoon session will start with a reflection on the future perspectives on the global AMR strategy, followed by a presentation, by the Dutch coordinator, of the now finalised Joint Action on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections (JAMRAI). The Commission will share insights on national actions plans against AMR, and Ireland will present its own, comprehensive One Health action plan. The session will conclude with a discussion on the future of the EU AMR One Health Network. The minutes of the meeting will be published.

The next meeting of the EU AMR One-Health Network will take place by the end of the 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 (2011), focusing on activities with clear benefits to the EU and, where possible, on measurable and concrete outcomes. The key objectives are built on three main pillars:

1. Making the EU a best practice region
2. Boosting research, development and innovation
3. Shaping the global agenda

More information:

• EU action on AMR