Instances of work to ensure health of humans, animals, plants and the environment

One Health approach

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and four other health and environment agencies of the European Union (EU) work together to implement the One Health approach. It aims to enable the EU and its Member States to better prevent, predict, detect and respond to health threats.
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Human, animal and plant health, food safety and environmental sustainability share complex links. 

One Health addresses related issues via collaboration across disciplines and sectors.

This approach helps to:

  • prevent the emergence of health threats, or help mitigate their impact and societal costs;
  • reduce human pressures on the environment;
  • safeguard key societal needs such as food security, and access to clean air and water.

It is line with:

  • current Veterinary Medicinal Products Regulation - which contains measures to support the availability and safety of veterinary medicines, and enhanced EU action against antimicrobial resistance (AMR);
  • upcoming EU pharmaceutical legislation - which also aims to tackle threats like AMR and the presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment;
  • European Health Union - which enables the EU to react to health crises more quickly, efficiently, and in a coordinated manner.

One Health recognises the major impact of global phenomena such as climate change, which can create conditions for the emergence and spread of various infectious diseases. 

It also offers a framework to address threats such as zoonotic diseases, that can spread between animals and people.

Watch the video below to learn more about how EU agencies are tackling environmental and public health together.

For more information, see:

EMA's role

EMA contributes to One Health via a joint framework with the other EU agencies that have a mandate and expertise in public and animal health, food safety and environmental protection. 

They are the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and the European Environment Agency (EEA).

One Health is the cornerstone of the EMA's work on veterinary medicines. 

This includes a benefit-risk assessment to ensure that veterinary medicines are safe for the: 

  • animals they will be administered to;
  • people administering them;
  • environment;
  • consumers of food of animal origin.

In the area of antimicrobial resistance, EMA's One Health approach involves a close cooperation between the human and veterinary domains. 

In particular, this is to ensure the continued availability of antimicrobials for treatment of infectious diseases in animals.

In addition, this is also to recognise the need to preserve the efficacy of certain critically important antimicrobials for human use. 

EMA areas of expertise also include helping respond to EU and global public health threats like biological and chemical threats, and emergencies such as disease outbreaks or pandemics.  

Furthermore, EMA has a mandate to facilitate EU-level response to public health emergencies. 

This involves providing advice on medicines that may have the potential to treat, prevent or diagnose the diseases causing those emergencies. 

It also means monitoring and mitigating shortages of medicines and medical devices considered critical in these situations.

For more information on the role of EMA and that of other EU agencies involved in One Health, select the expandable panel below:

One Health task force

This cross-agency task force helps EMA and its partner agencies (ECDC, ECHA, EEA and EFSA) work together to successfully implement the One Health approach in Europe.  

It has identified five objectives to guide its work:

  • Facilitate strategic coordination - by contributing to the One Health agenda in Europe and strengthening related cooperation across agencies
  • Promote research coordination - by identifying research needs, promoting research coordination and supporting One Health-driven agenda for research and innovation
  • Enhance capacity building - by supporting in-service learning opportunities, capacity building and training for staff within the five agencies
  • Strengthen communication and stakeholder engagement - by coordinating the five agencies' contribution and developing coordinated communications activities
  • Support partnerships and joint activities - by developing thematic priorities, maximising collaboration and avoiding duplication 

Task force timeline

  1. Framework for action

    May 2024

    The five agencies presented a framework for action which aims to guide the work of the task force for the 2024-2026 period.

  2. Cross-agency knowledge for One Health action

    November 2023

    The five EU agencies published the joint statement on cross-agency knowledge at a One Health-related conference that the European Commission organised. The statement outlines their shared commitment to the One Health agenda in Europe and highlights related priorities.

  3. Task force establishment

    June 2023

    The collaboration between the five agencies was further strengthened by the establishment of the cross-agency One Health task force. It seeks to build stronger cooperation across sectors and disciplines.

For more information, see: 

One Health agenda in Europe and beyond

The need for a One Health approach to health threats is increasingly recognised at international level.

A One Health joint plan of action for 2022-2026 is available to drive the change and transformation required across disciplines and sectors. 

The so-called quadripartite organisations adopted this joint plan. They are made up of the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 

They continue to work together with global partners towards an international instrument for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

In the EU, policy strategies related to the One Health include: 

  • Zero Pollution Action Plan
  • Biodiversity Strategy to 2030
  • Farm to Fork Strategy
  • EU Global Health Strategy
  • Horizon Europe, and the EU research and innovation agenda 

The European Commission first endorsed the One Health approach in connection with the issue of antimicrobial resistance. It informed the adoption of the EU One Health Action Plan against AMR in 2017.

For more information on the One Health agenda in Europe and beyond, select the expandable panel below:

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