European centre for disease control: when and how, not if

The European Union is to set up a central resource to coordinate its communicable disease activities within the programme of Community action in the field of public health (1,2). A recent workshop held at the European Parliament discussed when and in what form rather than whether it should happen (3, 4). The new central resource will make communicable disease surveillance more visible than the 'network of networks' that has been in place for several years.