EPIC11 | National Workshop | Italy

Background 

The Italy National Workshop is part of the Emergency Preparedness Integrated Courses carried out under Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 and the EPIC11 project, which focuses on the provision of Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPR) trainings for Serious Cross-Border Threats to Health (SCBTH) in EU Member States and in European Economic Area (EEA) countries. The EPIC11 project was devised in response to the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) and Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) call for tenders on ‘EU preparedness: analysis, planning, reporting and training programmes for health specialists’.  

The implementation of Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 on SCBTH is ongoing. One of the operational objectives is to strengthen PPR planning with targeted training and knowledge-exchange activities for healthcare and public health staff (Article 11 of the regulation).  

The aim of the EPIC11 project is to develop an EU Preparedness Training Programme that responds to the needs of PPR planners, managers and practitioners, and which addresses current gaps in EU Member States and EEA countries in relation to PPR planning. This EU Preparedness Training Programme complements existing training programmes developed and managed by ECDC, WHO, and the EC’s policy departments (DGs), such as SANTE, HERA, ECHO and others, as well as joint actions, various EU-level projects, universities, training institutes and national institutions. 

EPIC11 is implemented by a consortium led by GFA Consulting Group GmbH (DE), KIT Royal Tropical Institute (NL), and Think Modular (AT). 

The overall project vision is to strengthen PPR capacities for future public health emergencies within and across countries through training. The EU Preparedness Training Programme will support EU Member States and EEA countries to: 

• Build knowledge and skills for more resilient emergency management; and 
• Strengthen communication, collaboration and coordination within and between countries. 

The foundation of the EU Preparedness Training Programme will be based on a multi-hazard approach to health threats in a cross-sectoral and cross-border setting, focussing on serious cross-border threats to health. 

This concept note is about the National Workshop, which will take place in Italy and which will focus on One Health.

Aims and objectives 

This National Workshop is led and hosted by the Ministry of Health with the support of EPIC11. The National Workshop will focus on One Health and, specifically, on Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPR) planning at the Points of Entry (PoEs) into the country to prevent or control outbreaks of vector-borne diseases (VBD). 

The workshop aims to enhance the knowledge of and  promote the exchange of experiences between multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary national experts from different offices, regional authorities, ministries, departments and agencies who work at different levels of PPR planning. The participants will have the opportunity to share their views, challenges, opportunities and collaborative approaches to these threats, and to better understand the strategies being proposed for the PPR plans at the various levels, with a specific focus on PoEs. The participants will also be given the opportunity to better understand the national obligations and commitments arising from Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 on SCBTH and the WHO’s International Health Regulations (IHR), as well as the related initiatives and plans of the European Commission, World Health Organisation (WHO) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The workshop will strive to stimulate discussion in order to improve collaboration between the participants and other sectors; foster networking; clarify the common challenges, gaps, opportunities and needs; and hear from colleagues about how they are managing these issues. 

The main aims of the meeting are: 

• To clarify the roles and responsibilities amongst the different stakeholders involved in PPR planning in Italy under the One Health approach, and to strengthen their coordination and collaboration with a focus on Points of Entry (PoEs). 
• To identify gaps, challenges and opportunities in developing and implementing these One Health PPR plans with a special focus on threats posed by vector-borne diseases (VBD), especially dengue. 
• To develop a roadmap outline with general agreement on the next steps to be prioritised in order to develop or improve the PPR plans. 

The objectives and programme of the National Workshop were developed following extensive discussion between the host organisation and the EPIC11 team. The aims, programme and methodology, including the terminology used in this document, reflect the preferences of the host organisation. 

Methodology 

The two-day workshop will follow a structured and interactive format to foster productive discussions and active engagement. It will create a focused environment for participants to deepen their understanding of the complexities of One Health PPR planning under Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 on serious cross-border threats to health (SCBTH). The programme will promote the exchange of experiences, best practices and possible solutions to challenges, while ensuring a shared understanding of essential PPR planning components. Discussions will strengthen coordination and collaboration among the personnel and departments involved in PPR planning in Italy, with a particular focus on the One Health approach and the roles related to Points of Entry (PoEs). Participants will work to identify and address unclear, missing or overlapping roles and responsibilities across stakeholders at regional and national levels. Furthermore, the workshop will prioritise consensus on the next steps and propose a roadmap. 

The National Workshop will start with an introduction from each of the participants, during which they will briefly present their roles and responsibilities relating to One Health, PoEs and PPR planning in Italy. This will be followed by presentations and a plenary discussion focusing on  Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 on SCBTH and the WHO’s International Health Regulations (IHR). These will provide an overview of the scope of these regulations, as well as the obligations and responsibilities that they place upon the relevant Italian authorities. The next presentation will focus on the epidemiological aspects of foodborne, vector-borne and respiratory transmission viruses, both internationally and nationally. The meeting will then open up for a plenary round table discussion, during which the representatives of regional prevention departments, agencies operating in the One Health field, and cross-border offices (one or more representatives for each one) will share their challenges and opportunities, specifically those related to PPR planning based on the One Health approach and on PoEs.  

The second day will focus more on One Health and PoEs. The participants will discuss how to improve the collaboration between public health and veterinary services. This will be followed by smaller group work to discuss in more detail the roles and responsibilities, and to identify potential overlaps or gaps. The participants will then discuss suggestions to further support the drafting of a One Health PPR plan for PoEs. Group work will continue with discussions on the various elements of a possible national One Health PPR plan for PoEs. By the end of the session, consensus should be reached on the challenges that need to be addressed and on the opportunities that can be leveraged to inform the next steps. The workshop will end with final reflections by the participants and a few closing remarks.  

Date and location 

Date:  19 – 20 March 2025 

Venue: Ministero della Salute, Viale Giorgio Ribotta, 5, 00144 Rome 

Target audience 

The National Workshop will gather a maximum of 45 national participants (minimum 30). There will be representatives from regions and stakeholders from different ministries, departments and agencies of the medical and veterinary sectors, which are involved in preparedness and response to any public health threat of considerable magnitude, at the Points of Entry. These will include officials from the Ministry of Health (prevention, food and veterinary offices), the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the General Coast Guard, the Italian Civil Aviation Agency (ENAC), the Italian National Institute of Health, the Department of Civil Protection (DPC), the Cross-Border Health Authorities (USMAF-SASN), the Nucleo Antisofisticazioni e Sanità – NAS dei Carabinieri (Armed Forces for Health Protection), the Medical and Veterinary Regional Health Authorities, the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM), the Italian Red Cross, the Istituti Zooprofilattici (Animal Disease Prevention Institute), the National Institute for Infectious Diseases (INMI) Lazzaro Spallanzani, the Luigi Sacco Hospital and the Azienda Ospedale (Public Body of Hospitals) of the University of Padova. 

The workshop will be held in Italian. 

Budget 

All related costs will be covered by EPIC11. 

Preparatory materials 

Participants are advised to read the following materials beforehand:  

• WHO International Health Regulations (IHR), Pandemic Agreement (PA), Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET); 
• Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 November 2022 on serious cross-border threats to health and repealing Decision No 1082/2013/EU (Text with EEA relevance); 
• National strategic operational plan for preparedness and response to a flu pandemic (Piano strategico-operativo nazionale di preparazione e risposta a una pandemia influenzale (PanFlu) 2021-2023); 
• National Plan for Prevention, Surveillance and Response to Arboviruses 2020-2025; 
• WHO Guidance for Contingency Planning; 
• International health regulations (‎2005)‎: a guide for public health emergency contingency planning at designated points of entry. 

In addition, participants are requested to bring with them any existing PPR plans of their department or unit. 

Outcomes 

The discussion around One Health PPR planning for PoEs in Italy will help identify training needs, and facilitate the EU comprehensive training programmes, as well as the final output of EPIC 11: a modular training programme. In addition, the specific outcomes of the workshop for participants are: 

• An increased awareness of all the stakeholders’ roles, actions and responsibilities, and a clearer picture of challenges and opportunities for the development of a One Health PPR plan for PoEs involving different stakeholders in Italy;  
• Stronger interrelationships between relevant stakeholders and responsible departments from various sectors, and improved coordination, communication, data sharing and collaboration between them, which are  essential in times of crisis; 
• Better preparation for the assessment of prevention, preparedness and response planning carried out under Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 on serious cross-border threats to health (autumn 2025);  
• An outline of the agreed priorities for the next steps and roadmap regarding the development of a One Health PPR plan for PoEs involving different stakeholders in Italy.