European Union institutions
European Union institutions The ECDC has a number of obligations towards the various EU institutions; issue scientific opinions, forward an annual evaluation of the current and emerging health threats.
European Parliament
Within the European Parliament, the Committee for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) deals with all issues concerning ECDC (together with the Budgets Committee (BUDG) on budgetary issues). The ENVI has a parliamentary hearing with the Director nominee before his/her approval by the Management Board, and closely follows the work of ECDC. By invitation, the Director will regularly address the ENVI to give updates and assessments on the epidemiological situation.
The Council and Presidency of the European Union
The health ministers of the Member States meet regularly in the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO). Health threats, in particular those concerning communicable diseases have in the recent years become an increasingly important topic on these meetings. The Director of ECDC may be invited to the informal Council meetings, and in exceptional cases, depending on the agenda, she may also be invited to official EPSCO Council meetings to give an update on the epidemiological situation in Europe and the risk assessment of the Centre. In the run-up to a new Presidency, the ECDC will proactively get in touch and participate in the joint preparation process and explore the possibility of input.
European Commission
The ECDC has daily contacts with staff of the European Commission. The closest links are to the Directorate General of Public Health and Consumer Affairs (DG SANCO), in particular the Directorate C (Public Health and Risk Assessment) and its Health Threat Unit (C3), but on the issue of zoonoses also with Directorate E (Food safety: Plant Health, Animal Health and Welfare, International Questions). ECDC also advices the Commission on research issues within the Framework Programmes of the Research Directorate General (DG RTD).
Other EU agencies
The remits of ECDC are complementary to those of some other EU agencies, e.g. the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) , the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC), and the European Environmental Agency (EEA). Close links have been established with EFSA on issues concerning reporting under the Zoonoses Directive (2003/99/EC) and avian influenza.
Member States, EEA/EFTA, Acceding and Candidate Countries
ECDC will work closely with the 27 EU Member States, but also with the EEA/EFTA countries (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), candidate countries (Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey) and potential candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and Kosovo).
Being a small agency, ECDC will heavily rely on the expertise and infrastructures (e.g. microbiological laboratories) in the Member States. The ECDC will have the role of co-ordinating EU resources and being the focal point of communicable disease-related information. The pooled expertise of the ECDC will also be offered to those countries in need of enhancing specific aspects of their communicable disease control systems.
The main contact points in the Member States are the members of the ECDC Advisory Forum and Management Board, in their respective roles, and the competent bodies identified by the Management Board.
World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO is the most important of the international organisations ECDC are forming partnerships with. Especially the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/EURO), have tasks and responsibilities bordering the mandate of ECDC, e.g. in surveillance. It is therefore important that ECDC work in concert to avoid duplication of efforts and making the best use of limited resources. A detailed Memorandum of Understanding between ECDC and WHO/EURO has been signed.