MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Infection prevention and action against antimicrobial resistance, including innovative therapies – E-000213/2025(ASW)

1. T he Commission, together with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is working on guidelines for infection prevention and control (IPC) in human health. Action on IPC is also part of the EU co-funded joint action on antimicrobial resistance ( AMR) with a budget of EUR 62.5 million[1]. T he Commission, together with EU agencies, is also closely following Member States’ progress regarding the implementation of the 2023 Council Recommendation on AMR[2], and regularly exchanges with Member States’ competent authorities’ best practices and follow-up actions in the AMR One Health Network.

2. The Commission is actively supporting research efforts for the development of innovative medical countermeasures, such as phage therapy, vaccines, and gene editing technologies, to tackle AMR via the funding programmes Horizon Europe[3] and EU4Health[4]. The Commission explores, for an upcoming call for proposals, the possibility of having a call topic on conducting clinical trials testing phage therapies. Also, in partnership with Member States, the Commission works to promote research through the One Health AMR European Partnership[5], for which a grant of up to EUR 100 million is currently being prepared.

3. The Veterinary Medicines Regulation (EU) 2019/6[6] introduced measures against AMR, including the collection of harmonised data on antimicrobial sales and use per animal species. The European Medicines Agency will publish annual reports on the data collected, identifying trends and pattern changes. The first report on 2023 data is expected by March 2025. An aspirational target was set to halve EU antimicrobial sales for animals by 2030. Half of this reduction was already achieved by 2022.

• [1] EU JAMRAI 2, https://eu-jamrai.eu/prevention-control/
• [2] Council Recommendation on stepping up EU actions to combat antimicrobial resistance in a One Health approach C 220, 22.6.2023, p. 1.
• [3] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en
• [4] https://health.ec.europa.eu/funding/eu4health-programme-2021-2027-vision-healthier-european-union_en
• [5] https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-hlth-2024-disease-09-01
• [6] Regulation (EU) 2019/6 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on veterinary medicinal products and repealing Directive 2001/82/EC, OJ L 4, 7.1.2019, p. 43.