EU country visit to Serbia on One Health responses against AMR to Serbia
Between 24-28 February 2025, a team of experts from the European Commission (EC), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Epiconcept, the Integrated Quality Laboratory Services (IQLS), along with representatives from two EU Member States (Italy and Finland) visited Serbia to discuss antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within a One Health perspective.
The five-day visit was the fourth in a series of country-visits to the Western Balkans, all aimed at supporting One Health approaches to combat the spread of AMR.
In collaboration with national public health, animal health/food safety, and environment authorities, the team reflected on the work carried out by Serbia in surveillance, prevention, and control of AMR.
The meeting was opened on 24 February 2025 by Assistant Minister of Health, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Head of Department for Regional Development of the Ministry of Environment, Director of the Institute of Public Health of Serbia Prof. Dr Verica Jovanović, Director of the Veterinary Directorate Dr Živko Matijević, Managing Director of the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Serbia Dr spec. Saša Jaćović, World Health Organization (WHO) Special Envoy of the WHO Regional Director for the Western Balkans Dr Fabio Scano, who all highlighted the importance to address antimicrobial resistance by all relevant sectors.
The country-visit experts first discussed One Health governance issues together, before dividing into two teams, one led by ECDC and the other by DG SANTE and EFSA to cover all aspects of human health and animal health/food safety sectors. The teams met with representatives and stakeholders from key national authorities and institutions. They also visited hospitals, public and private healthcare institutions, pharmacies, laboratories, and long-term care facilities, and met with general practitioners and paediatricians.
The visits and meetings helped the EU team better understand the situation, identify strengths and specific gaps on AMR across different sectors: human health, animal health, environment, and patient safety. The teams discussed the prudent use of antibiotics, AMR prevention and control measures, and future needs for tackling AMR in Serbia.
The EU country visit on AMR to Serbia resulted in:
- a comprehensive overview of the efforts currently being made by Serbia to tackle AMR, including strengths, vulnerabilities and needs, and priorities for action;
- a better understanding of the existing structures, systems, tools and processes involved in national control of AMR;
- identification of priorities for the development of a One Health country action plan on AMR;
- the list of recommendations for improvement of the national system, including aspects that might benefit from ECDC and EU technical support.
On the final day of the visit, the EU team presented strengths, weaknesses, and preliminary recommendations with key priorities to the wide group of national stakeholders, including members of the newly re-established Multi-sectoral national coordination group on AMR in Serbia, and discussed next steps. Colleagues from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and WHO Country office participated in the visit as observers and expressed commitment to support Serbia’s efforts to continue good work.
Background
Antibiotic resistance (AMR) represents one of the most significant public health challenges in Europe and around the world. Over 35 000 people die from infections with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria annually in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA).
ECDC is helping countries in the Western Balkans and Türkiye prepare for participation in its activities, through a project funded by the European Commission Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR).
As part of this effort, ECDC and EFSA held a regional workshop in Belgrade, Serbia, in 2019 on using a One Health approach to tackle antimicrobial resistance in EU pre-accession countries. The workshop concluded that country visits would be valuable in identifying gaps in AMR management and supporting the development of roadmaps on AMR across sectors, such as human health, animal health, and patient safety.
Work Stream 2 of the ECDC accession support project focuses on the advancement of a One Health approach against AMR in the Western Balkans. It is the sixth ECDC project with external financial assistance by DG NEAR under the Instrument of Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).
