Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2959

Contents

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 November 2022 on serious cross-border threats to health and repealing Decision No 1082/2013/EU^note, and in particular Article 15(1) thereof,Whereas:

(1)Pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2022/2371, European Union reference laboratories (‘EU reference laboratories’) in the area of public health or for specific areas of public health relevant for the implementation of this Regulation are to provide support to national reference laboratories and to promote good practice and alignment by Member States on diagnostics, testing methods and use of certain tests for the uniform surveillance, notification and reporting of diseases by Member States.

(2)In accordance with Article 15(4) of Regulation (EU) 2022/2371, the Commission launched in April 2024^note calls for applications for the designation of EU reference laboratories in three areas of public health, namely on food- and water-borne bacteria; on food-, water- and vector-borne helminths and protozoa; and on food- and water-borne viruses.

(3)In response to those calls, Member States submitted applications for designation by 14 August 2024, which were evaluated by a selection board set up by the Commission services.

(4)The selection board took into account the requirements for EU reference laboratories set in Article 15(5) of Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 and in the calls for applications.

(5)Following the completion of the selection procedure, the successful laboratories should be designated as EU reference laboratories and their responsibilities and tasks should be specified.

(6)In order to use the funding allocated in the EU4Health annual work programme 2024^note, the designation of EU reference laboratories in the field of public health should be provided for as soon as possible.

(7)The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee on serious cross-border threats to health,

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