Annual meeting of National ECDC Correspondents in the European Neighbourhood Policy partner countries and MediPIET National Focal Points

The meeting provided an opportunity for participants to look back at the activities of the regional cooperation under the EU Initiative on Health Security and to discuss the outcomes and achievements of 2022 and planned activities for 2023.

The first day was dedicated to capacity-building activities carried out within the field of epidemic intelligence, risk assessment, preparedness, and response. ECDC staff gave an overview of implemented and planned multilateral activities, as well as a presentation on country reporting methodology. After the presentations, participants engaged in group discussions on public health preparedness, response capacities, and gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic. The final session of the day focused on knowledge-sharing, networking, and integration into ECDC systems, and a proposal to organise an exchange of experts programme in order to facilitate the exchange of expertise within various ECDC disease networks, allowing experts to learn from each other and build new partnerships.

On the second day, ECDC staff presented the current state of play and planned activities for the Mediterranean and Black Sea Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training programme (MediPIET). Members of the MediPIET Training Centres Forum (TCF) discussed how to further develop, promote, and ensure the continuous sustainability of the programme. This was followed by a session during which partner countries shared experience from their national Field Epidemiology Training Programmes (FETPs) and a guest from the Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET) presented the Global Field Epidemiology Roadmap. The day ended with a scientific session in which five MediPIET Cohort 4 fellows presented their scientific projects.

As a result of the annual meeting, National ECDC correspondents and MediPIET National Focal Points are aware of the current status and planned activities under the EU Initiative on Health Security.

Activities in 2022

In 2022, a range of activities were implemented under the EU Initiative on Health Security.

In September 2022, MediPIET Cohort 5 started a two-year FETP programme with 16 new fellows representing Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Kosovo [1], Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, North Macedonia, Palestine [2], Serbia, and Tunisia. The ECDC team has been working in close collaboration with training site supervisors, mentoring fellows, sharing expertise, and providing guidance.

Eight MediPIET modules and one inject day were delivered for Cohort 4 and 5 fellows in 2022 and a new MediPIET Training Site was appraised in Libya. A MediPIET Training Needs Assessment was carried out, and in November 2022 MediPIET was officially accepted as a member of the global TEPHINET network.

In 2022, ECDC also provided several training courses and workshops within the field of epidemic intelligence, risk assessment, preparedness, and response.

These training activities included a workshop to identify the capacity-building needs on public health emergency operation centres, a workshop training on public health risk communication, a four-day training on epidemic intelligence and rapid risk assessment, a tailored training on epidemic intelligence, rapid risk assessment and emergency operation centres, and an after-action review on evidence-based decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout the year, meetings with individual partner countries took place to discuss bilateral cooperation under the EU Initiative on Health Security.

Background

The EU Initiative on Health Security (2020-2025) aims to set up a regional workforce responsible for the prevention and control of challenges posed by communicable diseases and enhancing regional cooperation to tackle cross-border health security threats in EU candidate and potential candidate countries and European Neighbourhood Policy partner countries.

The Initiative consist of four work packages:

• Work Package 1: Workforce-oriented capacity-building (MediPIET);
• Work Package 2: Epidemic intelligence, risk assessment, preparedness response;
• Work Package 3: Integration into ECDC systems, knowledge-sharing and networking; and
• Work Package 4: Project management, communication, visibility, and cross-cutting actions.

[1] This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence

[2] This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.