To obtain regular information on antibiotic resistance, the European Commission (EC) has funded an antibiotic resistance surveillance system since 1998, known as the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (EARSS). EARSS is a network of national networks whose goal is to collect comparative data on antibiotic resistance in human health. EARSS is currently coordinated by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu, RIVM) in the Netherlands. This article presents the materials, methods, and results of the 2002 surveillance of bacterial resistance to antibiotics.