On January 1, three new EU reference laboratories for foodborne and waterborne diseases became officially operational. These laboratories, which will be active for the next seven years, will help national public health laboratories improve testing, data quality, and outbreak preparedness related to foodborne and waterborne pathogens (i.e., bacteria, viruses, and helminths and protozoa).

EU reference laboratories collaborate with existing EU disease networks to identify needs and deliver support to national public health laboratories. Their main role is to help ensure that laboratory data and test results are reliable, comparable, and consistent across all EU countries, ultimately bolstering early outbreak detection, surveillance data quality, and EU-wide preparedness. Specific functions of EU reference laboratories include:

• Performing specialized testing or complex diagnostics that may not be available in all laboratories
• Encouraging laboratories to align their diagnostic and testing methods for surveillance
• Providing opportunities for laboratories to test their proficiency and build their capacity
• Supporting laboratories to submit correct and complete notifications and reporting
• Sharing scientific expertise and best practice across the EU.

Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 on cross-border public health threats created EU reference laboratories by providing the legal basis for setting up a network of specialized laboratories to support EU-wide disease surveillance and response. This network of EU reference laboratories is coordinated by the European Centrer for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).