The Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control signed a Memorandum of Cooperation
The Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, marking a new stage of partnership in the field of public health and the fight against infectious diseases — particularly in prevention, monitoring, epidemiological surveillance, preparedness for outbreaks, and rapid response.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is a key agency of the European Union that coordinates the EU’s public health response, analyses epidemic risks, and provides evidence-based recommendations to national governments. Cooperation with ECDC enables Ukraine to integrate its disease surveillance systems into the European network, receive timely information about emerging threats, and apply modern risk assessment tools.
“ECDC has repeatedly provided expert support to Ukraine — during the COVID-19 pandemic, in assessing health risks, and in responding to the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, when experts conducted joint evaluations of sanitary and epidemic risks in the affected region. Signing this Memorandum is another step towards integrating Ukraine’s public health system into the European space. We are already actively cooperating with ECDC in disease surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, and outbreak response. Now this collaboration will become even more structured, and Ukrainian specialists will be able to directly join European networks, training programs, and projects”
The Memorandum was signed by Viktor Liashko, Minister of Health of Ukraine, and Pamela Rendi-Wagner, Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. This partnership aims not only to enhance the exchange of expertise and technologies but also to provide practical support to Ukraine in developing a modern system for disease prevention, monitoring, and response to public health threats.
The main areas of cooperation between the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and ECDC include:
- Participation in EU technical assistance and support programmes aimed at preparing Ukraine for future accession to ECDC;
- Development of surveillance systems, data exchange, risk assessment, and public health emergency preparedness;
- Participation of Ukrainian representatives as observers in ECDC’s networks of national focal points and expert working groups;
- Exchange of epidemiological data on agreed infectious diseases through ECDC’s digital platforms;
- Engagement of Ukrainian specialists in ECDC’s training, capacity-building, and professional development programmes in public health.
Ukraine is already actively aligning its public health legislation and practices with EU standards. The signing of this Memorandum with ECDC is an important step towards Ukraine’s future membership in the organisation.