Team of EU experts visits Montenegro to support the development of One Health Roadmap on antimicrobial resistance
On 29–30 January 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, and Integrated Quality Laboratory Services (IQLS) participated in a technical meeting in Montenegro to discuss the development of the national One Health roadmap on antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
After the ECDC/EC/EFSA country visit to Montenegro on 10-14 June 2024 on One Health responses against AMR, a technical meeting was held to discuss the development of the One Health roadmap addressing the country visit`s recommendations. Hosted by the Institute of Public Health in Montenegro, the technical meeting brought together representatives and experts from human, health, animal health, food safety, and environmental sectors.
Following the ECDC guide for the development of national One Health roadmaps on antimicrobial resistance in the Western Balkans, this meeting focused on specific actions to address gaps identified during the 2024 country visit.
Discussions covered key areas including, governance and intersectoral collaboration, laboratory diagnostics, infection prevention and control of antimicrobial use both in humans and animals, alignment of national legislation with EU legislation, enhanced data collection on AMR and antimicrobial consumption in animal health and food safety, and public awareness.
Representatives from key national institutions, including Public Health Institute, and the Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs (AFSVPA), CINMED, members of National Interdisciplinary Commission for the Control of Antibiotic Resistance (NIKRA), EU Delegation, WHO Country Office attended the meeting.
The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance
Antimicrobial resistance remains one of the most pressing public health threats in Europe and globally. Each year, over 35,000 people die from infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in the European Union/European Economic Area.
Background
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).
