2005 discharge: European Centre for Disease prevention and control ECDC

2006/2167(DEC)

PURPOSE: presentation of the final accounts of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control for the financial year 2005.

CONTENT: this document published in the Official Journal of the EU sets out a detailed account of the implementation of the 2005 budget, including the revenue and expenditure and the balance sheet for the year concerned.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control was created by Regulation 851/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004. Its main tasks are to collect and disseminate data on the prevention and control of human disease and to provide scientific opinions on this subject. It is also required to coordinate the European networking of bodies operating in this field.

The Centre became autonomous as of the second half of 2005.

According to this document, the final budget amounted to EUR 4.85 million including a Community subsidy of 98%.

As regards the staffing policy, the Centre, (which is temporarily based in Stockholm) officially set out 29 posts in its establishment plan. 22 posts are currently occupied + 20 other posts totalling 42 posts assigned to operational and administrative duties.

Staff expenditure amounted to EUR 2.5 million in 2005.

The activities carried out in 2005 are as follows:

  • protocols developed for evaluating networks;
  • planning document prepared for future strategy for surveillance activities in Europe;
  • scientific panels established for all 6 disease groups listed in Decision 2119/98/EC;
  • expert opinions and guidelines prepared on avian influenza;
  • responsibility for the EWRS (102 public health events reported and reviewed);
  • protocols and guidelines developed for mobilising outbreak assistance teams;
  • 2 outbreak assistance missions;
  • procedure for coordination of public health threats defined and in place (Commission, Member States, WHO);
  • 21 weekly epidemiological reports disseminated through the Eurosurveillance journal.

The complete version of the final accounts may be found at the following address:

www.ecdc.europa.eu