A pilot project was carried out to investigate the feasibility of HIVDR surveillance in EU/EEA countries and to make recommendations for the design and implementation of a potential future HIVDR surveillance system at the European level.

External quality assessment (EQA) is an essential part of any laboratory-based surveillance system, allowing for the monitoring of performance and comparability of results from participating laboratories, identification of potential issues, and deployment of resources and training where necessary.

In 2011, a pilot study was undertaken to assess the public health benefit of molecular surveillance for gonorrhoea in 21 EU/EEA countries. A total of 1 066 isolates collected under the 2010 European gonococcal antimicrobial surveillance programme were typed and 406 sequence types identified, with considerable diversity among countries.