Regulation 2004/851 - European Centre for disease prevention and control - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 142/1

The Community is committed as a priority to protect and to improve human health by prevention of human disease, in particular communicable diseases, and to counter potential threats to health with a view to ensuring a high level of protection of health of European citizens. Effective response to disease outbreaks requires a coherent approach among Member States and input from experienced public health experts, coordinated at Community level.

The Community should address European citizens’ concerns about public health threats in a coordinated and coherent way. As the protection of health can mean various actions ranging from preparedness and control measures to prevention of human diseases, the scope of actions should be kept broad. The danger of deliberate release of agents also requires a coherent Community response.

Member States must provide information on communicable diseases through the appropriate designated structures and/or authorities, in accordance with Article 4 of Decision No 2119/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 September 1998 setting up a network for the epidemiological surveillance and control of communicable diseases in the Community (3), which requires timely scientific analysis in order for effective Community action to be undertaken.

Decision No 2119/98/EC expressly calls for the improvement of the coverage and effectiveness of existing dedicated networks between Member States for the surveillance of communicable diseases on which Community actions should be built and the need to foster cooperation with third countries and international organisations competent in the field of public health, and in particular to pursue closer collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO). The Centre for Disease Prevention and Control should therefore establish clear procedures for cooperation with the WHO.

An independent agency, named the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control should serve as a Community source of independent scientific advice, assistance and expertise from trained medical, scientific and epidemiological staff from its own resources or from those of recognised competent bodies acting on behalf of Member States’ authorities responsible for human health.

This Regulation does not confer any regulatory powers on the Centre.

The Centre’s mission should be to identify, assess and communicate current and emerging threats to human health from communicable diseases. In the case of outbreaks of illness of unknown origin which may spread within or to the Community, the Centre should be empowered to act on its own initiative until the source of the outbreak is known and then in cooperation with the relevant competent authorities at national or Community level as appropriate.

In this way, the Centre will enhance the capacity of the scientific expertise in the European Community and support Community preparedness planning. It should support existing activities, such as relevant Community action programmes in the public health sector, with regard to the...