ECDC 20th anniversary a milestone in efforts to strengthen health security in Europe: annual activity report

“2025 marked our 20th anniversary, an opportunity to reflect on two decades of strengthening health security in Europe and also a year of many achievements that we will continue to build on,” said ECDC Director Pamela Rendi-Wagner. “As threats to public health grow, ECDC continues to use both established methods and new and innovative tools to increase health security for all.”

At the heart of ECDC’s work in 2025 was a focus on implementing the strengthened mandate and the EU framework on serious cross-border threats to health. The Centre’s achievements demonstrate clearly how ECDC is evolving into a globally connected agency that is increasingly integrated and operational, supporting member states across Europe as well as the EU institutions in prevention, preparation, and response to communicable disease threats.

Highlights

This year, ECDC has also published a compilation of highlights from the year in a new dynamic format.

Protecting Europe through global and neighbourhood partnerships

In 2025, ECDC expanded its international cooperation, particularly through strategic partnerships with countries outside the EU, as a pillar of EU health security. These partnerships strengthen surveillance, preparedness and response capacities both within and beyond Europe, recognising that health threats are global and require coordinated solutions. 

Strengthening health security across Europe   

Preparedness was further integrated into the core functions of the Centre through the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Assessments (PHEPA) carried out in 12 EU/EEA countries in 2025. These assessments allowed ECDC to provide tailored recommendations to member states, identifying strengths, gaps and priority activities for the future. The PHEPA framework is increasingly a key instrument to strengthen national preparedness plans and ensure the EU is better prepared for future public health emergencies.

Enhancing the EU’s health architecture

A major milestone in 2025 was the operationalisation of 9 European Union Reference Laboratories (EURLs), coordinated by ECDC. The EURL system is another important building block of the EU’s health security architecture, enabling faster detection, better analysis and more coordinated responses to infectious disease threats.