Celebrating 20 years of ECDC
In 2025, ECDC celebrates 20 years of strengthening Europe’s defences against infectious diseases and protecting the health of over 500 million people across the EU.
Prepare, Prevent, Protect - Together for a healthier future.
The Centre was established in May 2005, after the 2002-03 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak showed how quickly a disease could spread and claim lives. It then became clear that the EU, with its open borders and expanding membership, needed an organisation to provide a coordinated approach to respond to public health threats.
ECDC was then created to assess risks, coordinate epidemic response, and provide a hub to analyse and interpret epidemiological data. It also works with partner organisations across the globe.
ECDC has since supported the EU response to numerous epidemics and outbreaks, including for swine flu in the EU in 2009, Ebola in West Africa in 2013, COVID-19 in 2020-2023, and Mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2024.
We cooperate extensively with international partners and networks to exchange views and expertise, coordinate activities, and promote best practice. Our partners include EU/EEA and candidate countries, other EU institutions, the World Health Organization, other CDC across the globe, as well as disease and laboratory networks.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, ECDC’s mandate was extended in 2022 to give it a stronger role in crisis preparedness and providing direct support to EU countries.
A look back on our history
ECDC has grown from an initial staff of 35 in 2005 to 361 in 2024, and now reports on more than 60 infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-related infections in the EU’s 27 member states from its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden.
Learn more about the growth and milestones in the centre’s history over the past 20 years:
Learn more about us
Learn more about the infectious disease topics we focus on, our activities, and our organisational structure and governance.
