Beyond borders: Europe’s leadership role in tackling transboundary antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains one of the gravest global health threats, responsible for over 35 000 deaths annually in the EU/EEA and projected to cause nearly 2 million deaths worldwide each year by 2050. While Europe has long positioned itself as a frontrunner in the fight against AMR, growing international mobility and fragmented policy implementation continue to undermine progress. This viewpoint argues that strengthening a coordinated One Health response is essential to address the transboundary nature of antimicrobial resistance. The European response must now evolve beyond national and regional frameworks, with strengthened surveillance at borders, stronger political commitment at the continental level, to curb imported and emerging resistant infections. Only a unified, globally connected Europe can lead an effective and sustainable response to this silent pandemic.