Team of experts from ECDC, EFSA, EC and EU Member States conduct visit to Kosovo on One Health approaches against AMR
Between 9 and 13 October 2023, a team of experts from the European Commission (EC), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), two EU Member States (Spain and Finland), the Integrated Quality Laboratory Services (IQLS), and Epiconcept will conduct a country visit to Kosovo [1] focusing on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in a ‘One Health’ perspective.
AMR is an increasing global problem that poses a serious threat to human health, animal health, and the environment. Each year in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), more than 35 000 people die from infections with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, and these infections result in approximately 1.5 billion EUR in additional costs.
The five-day visit to Kosovo is the first in series of country visits to the Western Balkans that aim to contribute to the advancement of a ‛One Health’ approach against AMR in the region and pave the way for actions for national reforms and investments.
In collaboration with national public health, food safety, and animal health authorities, the country visit team will reflect on the work done by Kosovo on the surveillance, prevention, and control of AMR.
The experts will be divided into two teams, one led by ECDC and the other by DG SANTE and EFSA. The teams will meet with a wide range of representatives and stakeholders from key national authorities and institutions. They will also visit hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories, and long-term care facilities, as well as meet with general practitioners and paediatricians.
The specific objectives of the visit to Kosovo are:
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To provide a comprehensive overview of the efforts currently being made by Kosovo to tackle AMR, including strengths, vulnerabilities and needs, and potential plans of action;
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To better understand the existing structures, systems, tools and processes involved in national control of AMR;
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To gather background information for the development of a ‘One-Health’ country roadmap on AMR;
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To identify areas for improvement, including aspects that might benefit from ECDC’s technical support; and
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To determine the current status and suitability of systems for electronic surveillance as a background for the development of the guidance for electronic surveillance of AMR.
Background
ECDC is supporting countries in the Western Balkans and Türkiye to prepare them to participate in the Centre’s activities, as part of a project funded by the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) of the European Commission.
In this context, ECDC and EFSA organised in 2019 a regional workshop on a One Health approach against antimicrobial resistance in EU pre-accession countries in Belgrade, Serbia. The workshop concluded that ‘One-Health’ country visits to discuss AMR issues in each of the Western Balkan countries would help to identify gaps in the individual countries and support the development of roadmaps on AMR in different sectors, such as human health, animal health, and patient safety.
Work Stream 2 of the currently ongoing ECDC accession support project focuses on the advancement of a ‘One-Health’ approach against AMR in the Western Balkans. It is the sixth ECDC project with external financial assistance by DG NEAR under the Instrument of Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).
[1] This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.
