Three new EU reference laboratories strengthen Europe’s response to food- and waterborne diseases

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has announced that three new European Union (EU) reference laboratories became operational on 1 January 2026, marking a significant step forward in Europe’s ability to prevent, detect and respond to health threats linked to food- and waterborne diseases.

The laboratories will support national public health laboratories across the EU for the next seven years, improving testing capacity, data quality and preparedness for serious cross-border health threats. Together, they will reinforce EU-wide surveillance and response systems at a time when food- and waterborne infections remain a major public health concern.

EU reference laboratories will improve early outbreak detection, enhance the comparability of surveillance data, and strengthen Europe’s overall preparedness and response

The newly operational laboratories focus on three key areas: food- and waterborne bacteria; food-, water- and vector-borne helminths and protozoa; and food- and waterborne viruses. By covering these priority hazards, the laboratories will help ensure more consistent and reliable detection of pathogens that can cause outbreaks across multiple countries.

EU reference laboratories work closely with existing EU disease surveillance networks to identify gaps and provide targeted support. Their role includes carrying out specialised testing and complex diagnostics that may not be available in all Member States, promoting harmonised laboratory methods, and offering proficiency testing and training to strengthen national capacities. They also support accurate and complete reporting, while sharing scientific expertise and best practices across the EU.

This coordinated approach is expected to improve early outbreak detection, enhance the comparability of surveillance data, and strengthen Europe’s overall preparedness and response to health threats that do not respect national borders.

The establishment of EU reference laboratories in public health is grounded in Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 on Serious Cross-Border Threats to Health, which created the legal framework for a network of specialised laboratories supporting EU-wide disease surveillance and response. The network is coordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

With the designation of these three laboratories, a total of 10 EU reference laboratories for public health have now been approved by the European Commission. Six became operational in January 2025, three in January 2026, and a tenth is scheduled to begin work in January 2027, with further laboratories planned in the coming years.