ECDC/EC/EFSA country visit to Serbia to advance One Health responses against antimicrobial resistance

The visit was supported by a consortium composed of Epiconcept and Integrated Quality Laboratory Services (IQLS) and based on the ‘Methodology for conducting One Health country visits on antimicrobial resistance in the Western Balkans’. The visit was part of ECDC Accession Support to the Western Balkans and Türkiye activities for the advancement of a One Health approach against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the Western Balkans, funded by the Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) of the European Commission.

The findings of the report indicate that the situation related to AMR in Serbia is of major concern and requires immediate attention to ensure patient safety and preserve hospitals’ capacity to deliver high-quality care. At the time of the visit, only a few national initiatives had been launched to tackle AMR challenges in the sectors of human health, animal health and food safety. The national intersectoral coordinating mechanism, the multidisciplinary working group for AMR management, was re-established in January 2025 to prepare a new National Action Plan (NAP). The previous NAP on AMR for the period 2019−2021 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it was not possible to implement all the outlined activities. The development of the new NAP presents an opportunity to create a detailed operational plan, based on situational analysis, that encompasses all essential activities, clearly defines targets, indicators, roles, and responsibilities, and is backed by a specific budget and timeline. There should also be consistent and transparent public reporting to promote accountability and encourage participation from all relevant political entities.