Given the realities of an open health area, coordinating responses at the European level is essential. A wide range of challenges arises, from harmonizing public health data among Member States to assessing the complex links between health and the environment, as well as monitoring infectious diseases and issuing alerts regarding emerging risks. To structure the European Union’s response, an agency was created, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, whose mission is initially limited to infectious risks. France, through the Institut de veille sanitaire, is actively involved in this effort, drawing on its expertise in public health and its experience as a coordinator of European networks. (Introduction)