COMPARE is the answer

In a written question from Georgios Kyrtsos, the Commission was asked the following:

Viral and bacterial epidemics and pandemics (e.g. the H1N1 pandemic in 2009) do not disappear, but, historically, recur in cycles (approximately every 10 to 15 years) and sometimes in more developed forms. At international, European and national levels, huge sums are spent to combat and recover from such crises.

Today, developments in the fields of microbiology, virology and bioinformatics can create prediction programmes, at least for pandemics, so that in the foreseeable future it will be possible to prevent them (e.g. H1N1 and Ebola). This will significantly reduce the cost of addressing them, and management measures will be more effective than they are at present.

In view of the above, will the Commission say:

1. Is there a plan to promote cooperation between these three scientific areas so as to prevent pandemic crises, given that these disciplines have the capacity as well as the necessary molecular and other scientific ‘tools’ to prevent the spread of dangerous viruses and microorganisms in social groups?
2. If so, with what specific actions at European level does it intend to strengthen cooperation between these sectors (microbiology, virology and bioinformatics) with a view to funding research and promoting positive outcomes for the benefit of public health in the EU?
3. Has it taken any action in collaboration with the WHO on this issue? If so, what specific action?

Mr. Moedas, on behalf of the Commission, responded:

1. The EU is playing an important role in tackling societal challenges for example in the field of health via Horizon 2020, the European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020). The Commission launched a call for proposals in December 2013 for a better preparedness to infectious epidemics. The call requested that sequence-based data of pathogens should be generated, stored and analysed in combination with clinical, microbiological, epidemiological, and other data for risk assessment in an appropriate information system for all sectors (public health, food, animal health).

2. The Commission is now in the process of preparing the grant agreement for a EUR 20 million Research and Innovation Action that will start on 1 December 2014⁽¹⁾. The project will establish an analytical framework and data exchange platform that will allow interpretation of sequence-based pathogen data in combination with associated data (e.g. clinical, epidemiological data) in an integrated inter-sectorial, interdisciplinary, international, ‘One Health’ approach.

3. The project will not only collaborate with the World Health Organisation but also with other organisations to ensure complementarity to and compatibility with existing databases and information and communication systems⁽²⁾. In addition the project will establish an open and direct dialogue with its stakeholders, the future data providers and information users⁽³⁾.

1. Compare (‘COllaborative Management Platform for detection and Analyses of (Re-) emerging and foodborne outbreaks in Europe’), www.compare-europe.eu.
2. ECDC Food‐ & Waterborne Epidemiology Intelligence Platform (FWD-EPIS), the European Surveillance System managed by ECDC (TESSy), The European Commission Early Warning and Response System (EWRS) and Rapid Alert System for Food and Feeds (RASFF), and WHO networks.
3. International public and veterinary health and food safety authorities (e.g., ECDC, EFSA, WHO, OIE); national public and veterinary health and food safety authorities (e.g. public health institutes of Member States and national reference laboratories); food (processing) industry with sequencing capacities (e.g. Unilever, Nestlé); research institutes and their individual researchers (e.g., molecular, clinical, epidemiological, bioinformatics) across the human and animal sectors and covering virology, bacteriology and protozoology; Clinicians covering primary and hospital care (human and veterinary).

Documented on the European Parliament site.