The 2017 EU One Health Action Plan against Antimicrobial Resistance

18 July 2017

As requested by the EU Member States in the EPSCO Council Conclusions of June 2016, in June 2017 the European Commission has released a comprehensive EU Action Plan on AMR based on the One Health Approach, a principle that recognises the interconnection between human and animal health. The new plan builds on the evaluation of the 2011 EU Action on AMR  and on results and feedback on the AMR EU Roadmap and an open public consultation.

Besides confirming once again the importance of AMR at an European level, the plan aims to support the EU and its Member States in delivering effective responses to AMR, focussing on three key pillars:

  1. making the EU a best practice region: as the evaluation of the 2011 action plan highlighted, this will require better evidence, better coordination and surveillance, and better control measures. EU action will focus on key areas and help Member States in establishing, implementing and monitoring their own national One Health action plans on AMR, which they agreed to develop at the 2015 World Health Assembly20;
  2. boosting research, development and innovation by closing current knowledge gaps, providing novel solutions and tools to prevent and treat infectious diseases, and improving diagnosis in order to control the spread of AMR;
  3. intensifying EU efforts worldwide to shape the global agenda on AMR and the related risks in an increasingly interconnected world.

Together with the new Action Plan, the EU Commission also published its first ‘deliverable’, a set of guidelines focused on the correct use of antimicrobial in human health. The guidelines target all actors responsible or involved in antimicrobial use and have as objective the reduction of inappropriate use of antimicrobials in people.

Download now the full version of the EU One Health Action Plan against Antimicrobial Resistance and the Summary Factsheet.

Given the importance of AMR, the EHMA secretariat attended several key events in Brussels where AMR was discussed from different point of views by representatives of industry, European Institutions and NGOs. To discover more about the current debate on AMR, check out our latest events reports clicking on the links below.

Innovation in diagnostics for fighting antimicrobial resistance

AMR: Where are we now? – Scientific, Human Health, Husbandry, and Socio-Economic Aspects of Antibacterial Resistance: Time to Act

Preserving the old, creating the new: How to avoid the Antimicrobial Resistance doomsday scenario?

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