Single programming document 2025-2027

As the amended ECDC Founding Regulation and the Regulation on serious cross-border threats to health (SCBTH Regulation) came into force in December 2022, the ECDC long-term Strategy 2021-2027 has been adapted to incorporate new and extended tasks of the Centre's strengthened mandate. 2025 will be the second year since the Centre started implementing the amended ECDC Strategy 2021-2027 and the Strategy Implementation Roadmap. Despite ongoing changes in the global and European context, the high-level Priorities for ECDC's work in 2025 have been defined to ensure a continued support by the Centre to the key health initiatives of the European Commission and to best respond to the needs and expectations of the Member States and other stakeholders. These are digitalisation and integrated surveillance, preparedness and response, tackling antimicrobial resistance, carrying out studies of post-authorisation vaccine effectiveness and safety and increasing general vaccine coverage, and ensuring the continuous advancement to reach the Sustainable Development Goals related to tuberculosis, hepatitis, and HIV. At the global level, the WHO amendment of the International Health Regulations has been adopted in June 2024 and should be implemented in the coming year, and the negotiations on the WHO pandemic agreement are ongoing. At the European level, new Members of the European Parliament have been elected following the European Parliamentary election in June 2024 and they started their work. The new European Commission with newly designated Commissioners is setting its priorities. At ECDC, the new Director is in place as of June 2024, the outcomes of several post COVID-19 audits and reviews are published and recommendations from these are being translated into an action plan and guidance to improve the public health preparedness of the EU/EEA countries. ECDC external evaluation is about to start in the first half of 2025 so that the European Commission would be able to provide the report by the end of 2025.