This document is an excerpt from the EUR-Lex website
Document 52016XG0723(02)
Council conclusions on the next steps under a One Health approach to combat antimicrobial resistance
Council conclusions on the next steps under a One Health approach to combat antimicrobial resistance
Council conclusions on the next steps under a One Health approach to combat antimicrobial resistance
IO C 269, 23.7.2016, p. 26–30
(BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, HR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)
23.7.2016 |
EN |
Official Journal of the European Union |
C 269/26 |
Council conclusions on the next steps under a One Health approach to combat antimicrobial resistance
(2016/C 269/05)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
1. |
RECALLS the Council Recommendation of 15 November 2001 on the prudent use of antimicrobial agents in human medicine (1) and the reports of December 2005, April 2010 from the Commission to the Council on its implementation (2) and the Council Recommendation of 9 June 2009 on patient safety, including the prevention and control of healthcare associated infections (3) and the reports of November 2012 and June 2014 from the Commission to the Council on its implementation (4). |
2. |
RECALLS the Council conclusions of 10 June 2008 on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) (5), the Council conclusions of 1 December 2009 on innovative incentives for effective antibiotics (6), the Council conclusions of 22 June 2012 on the impact of antimicrobial resistance in the human health sector and in the veterinary sector – a ‘One Health’ perspective (7) and the Council conclusions of 1 December 2014 on patient safety and quality of care, including the prevention and control of healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance (8). |
3. |
RECALLS the European Parliament Resolution of 12 May 2011 on antibiotic resistance (9), the European Parliament Resolution of 27 October 2011 on the public health threat of antimicrobial resistance (10), the European Parliament Resolution of 11 December 2012 on the Microbial Challenges – Rising Threats from AMR (11) and the European Parliament Resolution of 19 May 2015 on safer healthcare in Europe: improving patient safety and fighting antimicrobial resistance (12). |
4. |
RECALLS the 2001 Community Strategy against AMR (13) and the European Commission Communication of 15 November 2011 on an action plan against the rising threats from Antimicrobial Resistance (14) and the outcome of the evaluation of the 5 years action plan of the European Commission. |
5. |
WELCOMES the Global Action Plan (GAP) on Antimicrobial Resistance (15) developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) with the contribution of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and unanimously adopted in May 2015 by the 68th World Health Assembly, calling all Member States of the World Health Organization to put in place national action plans against AMR by mid-2017. |
6. |
WELCOMES the Resolution on Antimicrobial Resistance adopted in June 2015 by the 39th Conference of the FAO and the Resolution combating Antimicrobial Resistance and promoting the prudent use of antimicrobial agents in animals in May 2015 at the World Assembly of Delegates of the OIE. |
7. |
WELCOMES the Codex Alimentarius Commission (16) initiative with regard to the need to review and update standards, codes and guidelines related to AMR. |
8. |
WELCOMES other international and regional initiatives, such as the declaration by the G7 on Antimicrobial Resistance (17) and the decision to put antimicrobial resistance on the agenda of the G20. |
9. |
RECALLS that regarding human health, the Union's action is defined by Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. |
10. |
RECALLS that antimicrobial resistance is a cross-border health threat that cannot be sufficiently addressed by one Member State alone and cannot be confined to a geographical region or a Member State and hence needs intensive cooperation and coordination between Member States, as stated in the Decision No 1082/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2013 on serious cross-border threats to health (18). |
11. |
RECALLS that in the veterinary sector a number of legislative and non-legislative measures have already been taken and are taken at EU level to coordinate and ensure a common EU approach reducing the risk of AMR. These measures include especially those set out in the Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 on additives for use in animal nutrition (19), prohibiting the use of antibiotics as growth promoters, Commission Implementing Decision 2013/652/EU of 12 November 2013 on the monitoring and reporting of antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic and commensal bacteria (20), Commission Decisions following referral procedures under Directive 2001/82/EC, resulting in modifications of marketing authorisations for products containing critically important antimicrobials in order to reflect specific measures against development of AMR and in the Guidelines for the prudent use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine (2015/C-299/04) (21). |
12. |
WELCOMES the ongoing work of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank on the economic impact of AMR. |
13. |
EXPRESSES ITS CONCERN regarding the data provided by OECD, according to which, it is estimated that about 700 000 deaths may be caused globally each year by AMR. Compared to a world with no AMR, the economic impact associated with current rates of AMR may reach about 0,03 % of GDP in 2020 in OECD countries, 0,07 % in 2030 and 0,16 % in 2050. This would result in cumulative losses of about USD 2,9 trillion by 2050 (22). |
14. |
ACKNOWLEDGES the Scientific Opinions and reports on antimicrobial resistance published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). |
15. |
RECOGNISES that due to the complexity of the problem, its cross-border dimension and the high economic burden, the impact of antimicrobial resistance goes beyond its severe consequences for human and animal health and has become a global public health concern that affects the whole of society and requires urgent and coordinated intersectoral action, where necessary based on the precautionary principle (23). |
16. |
UNDERLINES that in order to stimulate the development of new antimicrobials, alternative therapies and (rapid) diagnostics, EU and global coordination and cooperation on research programmes and incentives are needed and RECOGNISES the work done by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) project DRIVE-AB (Driving reinvestment in research and development and responsible antibiotic use), the proposals of the Antimicrobial Resistance Review team (24) and the Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance (25) among others. |
17. |
STRESSES that more cooperation between Member States and with the Commission and pharmaceutical industry is crucial regarding the reduced availability including possible withdrawals from the market of antimicrobials that may lead to shortages in antimicrobials and inadequate replacement therapy. |
18. |
HIGHLIGHTS that to make progress in the fight against AMR, the new EU Action Plan should contain measurable (clearly defined quantitative or qualitative) goals, benchmarks and effective measures to achieve these goals. |
19. |
HIGHLIGHTS that the success of the fight against antimicrobial resistance relies heavily on the commitment and willingness of governments to take actions to ensure the implementation of the initiatives under the One Health approach involving all relevant sectors and on the will of the EU Member States to cooperate within the EU and at an international level. |
20. |
WELCOMES the EU Ministerial One Health Conference on AMR (26) held in Amsterdam on 9 and 10 February 2016, at which the political will to tackle the AMR problem, by means of a One Health approach was expressed, including among others, enhanced cooperation between the Member States through an EU One Health Network on AMR. The EU One Health Network will not be a new governance structure, but it will work through joint meetings of existing groups or bodies in the human health, food and veterinary field, such as the AMR working group and the Health Security Committee. The EU One Health Network will be used on a regular basis to discuss AMR related issues from a one health perspective, i.a. the exchange of information between Member States about the progress made on the implementation of the National Action Plans against AMR and the development and implementation of the EU Action Plan. |
21. |
CALLS UPON THE MEMBER STATES TO:
|
22. |
CALLS UPON THE MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION TO:
|
23. |
CALLS UPON THE COMMISSION TO:
|
(2) 5427/06 [COM(2005)684 final] and 8493/10 [COM(2010)141 final]
(4) COM(2012)0658 and COM(2014)0371
(5) 9637/08
(6) OJ C 302, 12.12.2009, p. 10.
(7) OJ C 211, 18.7.2012, p. 2.
(8) OJ C 438, 6.12.2014, p. 7.
(9) P7_TA(2011)0238
(10) P7_TA(2011)0473
(11) 2012/2041 (INI)
(12) 2014/2207(INI)
(13) COM/2001/0333 final Volume I.
(14) 16939/11 [COM(2011)748]
(15) http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA68/A68_ACONF1Rev1-en.pdf?ua=1
(16) CAC 39-C-2015/21
(17) https://www.g7germany.de/Content/EN/Artikel/2015/06_en/g7-gipfel-dokumente_en.html
(18) OJ L 293, 5.11.2013, p. 1.
(19) OJ L 268, 18.10.2003, p. 29.
(20) OJ L 303, 14.11.2013, p. 26.
(21) OJ C 299, 11.9.2015, p. 7.
(22) http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/Antimicrobial-Resistance-in-G7-Countries-and-Beyond.pdf;
NB: in the quoted report the amount ‘trillion’ means 1012
(23) Communication from the Commission on the precautionary principle (COM(2000) 1 final of 2 February 2000).
(24) Lead by J. O'Neill (http://amr-review.org/)
(25) http://www.jpiamr.eu/
(26) http://english.eu2016.nl/events/2016/02/10/ministerial-conference-on-amr
(27) Commission Guidelines for the prudent use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine (2015/C-299/04) http://ec.europa.eu/health/antimicrobial_resistance/docs/2015_prudent_use_guidelines_en.pdf
(28) http://www.jpiamr.eu/
(29) See paragraph 18.
(30) The Directorate on Health and Food Audits and Analysis of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, formerly the ‘Food and Veterinary Office’.
(31) Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’) (OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1).
(32) See also paragraph 15.