Health
The first six EU reference laboratories for public health are now operational
Since 1 January 2025, the first six EU reference laboratories (EURLs) for public health have been operational and will now carry out activities for the next seven years. The EURLs, which bring together consortia of scientific expertise from across the EU, contribute to improving EU preparedness and ensuring a swift detection and response in case of outbreaks. They will thus strengthen the EU's defences in the face of serious cross-border health threats. The six EURLs are covering the following areas: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria Vector-borne viral pathogens Emerging, rodent-borne and zoonotic viral pathogens High-risk, emerging and zoonotic bacterial pathogens Legionella Diphtheria and pertussis The EURLs will support national public health laboratories by ensuring data comparability and capacity strengthening on laboratory methods at the EU level.
This includes efforts to align on diagnostics and testing for surveillance, notification and reporting of diseases. These six EURLs were designated for seven years in March 2024, and are funded under the EU4Health programme. Background information The Regulation 2022/2371 on Serious Cross-Border Threats to Health introduced a legal mandate for the designation and implementation of European reference laboratories in public health. In March 2024, the European Commission adopted an Implementing Regulation that designated the first six EURLs for public health. A further three EURLs were designated by an Implementing Regulation in November 2024. A network of EURLs for public health will be operated and coordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Useful links
EU reference laboratories for public health
Health security and infectious diseases
Share this article:
EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter. Please see EU Reporter’s full Terms and Conditions of publication for more information EU Reporter embraces artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance journalistic quality, efficiency, and accessibility, while maintaining strict human editorial oversight, ethical standards, and transparency in all AI-assisted content. Please see EU Reporter’s full A.I. Policy for more information.
Stepping out...to get the UK back in European Union
Improving energy efficiency of buildings to reduce bills and save energy
Energy use in the industry sector continues to decline
DG Translation in a city near you: June events
The role of quality assurance in advancing inclusive upper secondary VET in Slovenia
Europe must not turn its back on rural women’s empowerment
Commission accelerates transition away from animal testing in chemical safety assessments
Counterfeit cigarettes drive illicit tobacco trade to highest level in a decade, new study claims
Inconvenient questions about Andorra and San Marino that Brussels should be asking
How digital wallets are changing the way Welsh consumers pay for online services
Impasse in European Union Tobacco Tax Reform: The Swedish veto
EU Cybersecurity Act could expose member states to costly investment treaty claims, legal opinion warns
Várhelyi says unilateral measures by the US against the EU ‘would not be justified’
Libya’s fuel crisis offers lessons for energy security on both sides of the Mediterranean
490+ experts call for €10 billion ring-fenced health allocation in EU budget
ENVI opinion signals early resistance to Biotech Act SPC extension
Kazakhstan reforms under scrutiny at Brussels Press Club round table
Japan should face up to history and contribute more to regional peace
Ambassador calls for 'speeding up' of co-operation between EU and Kazakhstan
Timur Turlov at Smart Moves Summit 2025: How chess can transform global education
Shevtsova’s case: Out-of-court sanctions dismantling trust in Ukrainian cause
The future of European transport
Trump Vs Trueman
