EPPO Panel on Diagnostics and Quality Assurance
Composition (last updated May 2026)
|
ALTENBACH Denise (Ms) |
Agroscope, Nyon (CH) |
|
BAGINSKA Hanna (Ms) |
State Plant Health and Seed Inspection Service, Main Inspectorate, Central Laboratory, Torun (PL) |
|
BECHEVA Ani (Ms) |
Central Laboratory for Plant Quarantine, Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, Sofia (BG) |
|
BOKUMA Gunita (Ms) |
State Plant Protection Service, Riga (LV) |
|
BONDARENKO Galina (Ms) |
All-Russian Plant Quarantine Center (FGBU “VNIIKR”), Bykovo (RU) |
| CEAN Mirela (Ms) | National Phytosanitary Authority, Voluntari (RO) |
|
CIPINYTE Vilma (Ms) |
The State Plant Service under the Ministry of Agriculture, Phytosanitary Research Laboratory (Division), Vilnius (LT) |
|
COSTA Joana (Ms) |
Centre for Functional Ecology – Science for People & the Planet (CFE) at the University of Coimbra, Coimbra (PT) |
|
DE ANDRADE Eugenia (Ms) |
Instituto Nacional de Investigaçao Agraria e Veterinaria (INIAV), Oeiras (PT) |
|
DREO Tanja (Ms) |
National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana (SI) |
|
ERMAKOVICH Valentina (Ms) |
Centre of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge, Saku (EE) |
|
FERRETTI Luca (Mr) |
CREA, Rome (IT) |
|
GAMBIN Maria Dolores (Ms) |
Plant Protection Directorate, Lija (MT) |
|
GRŠIČ Kristina (Ms) |
CCAFRA - Institute for Plant Protection, Zagreb (HR) |
|
INGHELBRECHT Sven (Mr) |
Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Merelbeke (BE) |
| KHALILOVA Sabina (Ms) | Azerbaijan Food Safety İnstitute, Baku (AZ) |
|
KIRK Shane (Mr) |
Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine, Celbridge (IE) |
|
KÖNIG Stephan (Mr) |
Julius Kühn-Institut, Institute for National and International Plant Health, Braunschweig (DE) |
|
KRISTON Eva (Ms) |
Plant Health and Molecular Biology Laboratory, National Food Chain Safety Office, Budapest (HU) |
|
MUNAUT Françoise (Ms) |
European Commission, Brussels (EU) |
|
OZDEN Ayşe (Ms) |
Plant Health and Quarantine Department, Ankara (TR) |
|
REISENZEIN Helga (Ms) |
AGES, Institute for Sustainable Plant Production, Vienna (AT) |
|
ROSS Susan (Ms) |
Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA, Roddinglaw Road), Edinburgh (GB) |
|
SANTALA Johanna (Ms) |
Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira, Helsinki (FI) |
|
SHARGIL Dorit (Ms) |
PPIS, Rishon LeZion (IL) |
|
SØGAARD LUND Ole (Mr) |
Laboratory of Danish Food Administration, Ringsted (DK) |
|
TOMANKOVA Katerina (Ms) |
Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture, Division of Diagnostics, Olomouc (CZ) |
|
VAN DE VOSSENBERG Bart (Mr) |
Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, National Plant Protection Organization, National Reference Laboratory - Molecular Biology, Wageningen (NL) |
|
WEEKES Rebecca (Ms) |
Food and Environment Research Agency, Sand Hutton, York (GB) |
Terms of Reference (as agreed by the Executive Committee in May 2026)
Introduction
A Panel on Diagnostics was established in 1998 to begin the development of diagnostic protocols. In 2004, an ad hoc Panel on technical requirements for laboratories was established to specifically develop Standards for quality assurance issues. In 2010, after the Standard PM 7/98 Specific requirements for laboratories preparing accreditation for a plant pest diagnostic activity was adopted the two Panels were merged to become the current Panel on Diagnostics and Quality Assurance.
Terms of Reference were approved in 2010 and revised in 2014, 2017 and 2026.
Scope
The Panel on Diagnostics and Quality Assurance considers all horizontal aspects of diagnostics and oversees the work of the 5 specialized Panels (Bacteriology, Nematology, Entomology, Virology and Phytoplasmology, and Mycology) established to specifically develop and review pest specific diagnostic protocols.
Tasks
The Panel on Diagnostics and Quality Assurance is responsible for the following activities:
- Interaction, as required, with the specialized Panels on Diagnostics and other EPPO technical bodies.
Horizontal Diagnostics Activities
- Ensuring the revision of the horizontal Standards
- Drafting of new horizontal Standards (when needed)
- Reviewing the programme conducted in the IPPC Technical Panel on Diagnostic Protocols to avoid duplication.
- Upon request of the EPPO Secretariat reviewing possible comments made at the regional level on IPPC Diagnostic Protocols to advise the Panel on Global Affairs and/or relevant Panels on Diagnostics on a regional position on these protocols. Resolving in consultation with the Panel on Global Affairs and/or relevant Panels on Diagnostics opposing views of experts on these protocols.
- Upon request of the EPPO Secretariat reviewing nominations for IPPC Technical Panel on Diagnostic Protocols (TPDP) and provide feedback to the EPPO Secretariat on the suitability of the nominations.
- Identifying topics for continuous improvement in plant health diagnostics
- Ensuring through the EPPO Secretariat appropriate links with other bodies with activities in the area of plant health diagnostics for example EA, ISO, ISTA, EURLs, EFSA and other relevant bodies.
- Reviewing national initiatives in the field of diagnostics.
- To oversee the work on the EPPO databases on diagnostics (the EPPO Databases on diagnostic expertise and EPPO-Q-bank). Suggesting improvements that could be made and encouraging contributions from member countries.
- Give feedback from conferences where Panel members participated and raise awareness on future conferences.
- Recommending further work that could be undertaken by EPPO to improve diagnostic activities in the EPPO region, e.g. organisation of workshops or conferences, new databases, general articles on diagnostics.
- With regards to horizontal issues, comparing the content of international Standards (e.g. IPPC diagnostic protocols, ISO Standards) with the content of the EPPO Standards to possibly revise them.
Activities linked to pest specific Diagnostic Protocols
- Ensuring harmonization on the outputs of specialized diagnostic Panels (Bacteriology, Nematology, Entomology, Virology and Phytoplasmology, and Mycology).
- Reviewing on an annual basis the work programme for preparing diagnostic Standards.
- Define criteria and overseeing of priorities for revision of approved diagnostic Standards as established by the Specialized Panels or preparation of new Standards.
- Updating and improving the instructions to authors of diagnostic Standards, taking into account, in particular, the suggestions received from the specialized diagnostic Panels.
- Having an overview of the status pest specific diagnostic protocols prepared by Specialized Panels.
Other activities
- Identifying research needs to be communicated to the persons in charge of relevant regional initiatives in this area (e.g. Euphresco).
- Carrying out specific additional tasks requested by the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations or the EPPO Secretariat;
- Reporting to the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations on its activities.
Way of Working
- Experts for the Panel are nominated by member countries (or other approved bodies) and appointed by the Executive Committee.
- Panel members are selected on the basis of their expertise and serve in an individual capacity.
- The Panel normally meets annually. In between annual meetings it may meet by teleconference, and may hold e-mail consultations to facilitate rapid decision making.
- Reports of meetings are circulated within four weeks as a draft and participants are given two weeks in which to comment. After that the report is finalized.
- The Panel submits its draft Standards, advice and recommendations to the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations for further consideration, and consults the Working Party in relation to significant issues in diagnostics and quality assurance.
- The EPPO Secretariat provides the Chair, the support of a Scientific Officer, a report writer and Administrative support for meetings.