The European Union Health Programme (EU4Health) recently awarded an auspicious grant to combat antibiotic resistance, ISK 7.5 billion (EUR 50 million), of which about ISK 113 million went to Iceland. The project aims to combat the spread of antibiotic resistance in Europe.

The aim of EU-JAMRAI 2 is to implement effective measures for the monitoring, prevention, and action of antibiotic resistance in humans, animals, and the environment, in the spirit of One Health. The project recently started but covers four years (2024-2027). The main projects concern antibiotic control, infection prevention, monitoring, availability of antibiotics, and awareness of antibiotic resistance.

One of the main objectives of EU-JAMRAI-2 is to strengthen national programs to combat antibiotic resistance in European countries. Last week, the Minister of Health, in collaboration with the Minister of Food and Agriculture and the Minister for the Environment, Energy, and Climate, approved a new action plan to curb the spread of antibiotic resistance in Iceland. Thus, EU-JAMRAI-2 will provide both financial and professional support to the measures decided to be undertaken in Iceland to stem the spread of resistant bacteria.

The EU-JAMRAI-2 cooperation involves 120 organizations in 27 EU Member States, as well as Iceland, Norway, and Ukraine. The project is co-funded by participants and EU4Health, the European Union's health program. The total cost of the project is 62.5 million euros (ISK 9.2 billion), of which approximately EUR 50 million (ISK 7.5 billion) comes from the European Union. The importance of this project underlines the strong and growing emphasis that the European Union is putting on measures to combat antibiotic resistance in the coming years.

More information is provided by Anna Margrét Halldórsdóttir, Chief Medical Officer, anna.m.halldorsdottir@landlaeknir.is