Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

John Bowis was the European Parliament’s Rapporteur on the European Commission’s proposal to establish a European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Communicable diseases can pose a significant cross-border threat to health, as shown by the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and by anthrax bio-terrorist alerts. The ECDC will co-ordinate rapid responses to such major health threats.

Established in 2005 with a small core staff, the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control draws together the expertise of hundreds of scientists around Europe. The Centre is working to improve Europe’s communicable disease network and has taken over the work on monitoring and preparedness planning against bioterrorist attack which had been pursued by the EU’s Health Security Task Force.

On 10th February 2004, the European Parliament passed John Bowis’s amendments, following the unanimous adoption of his Report in the Environment and Public Health Committee. Agreement on the text of the legislation between the Parliament and the Council of Ministers means that the legislation was passed in a single reading, so that the Centre could be up and running in Stockholm, Sweden in 2005.