Dutch presidency seeks common action on antimicrobial resistance

The Dutch presidency has told Europe’s ministers of health and agriculture they must work together if antimicrobial resistance is to be tackled.

Europe’s governments must set aside worries about subsidiarity and make tackling antimicrobial resistance a common priority, Edith Schippers, the Dutch minister of health, welfare and sport, told delegates at a Ministerial Conference on Antibiotic Resistance.

Speaking at the presidency-organised conference on 9-10 February, Schippers said that, although she shared concerns about subsidiarity in the EU, “antimicrobial resistance is a cross-border health threat, whether we like it or not”.