Epidemics, antimicrobial resistance, shortcomings in food safety and sustainable production, water scarcity, environmental contamination, and the rapid changes in biodiversity — not problems of the past or worries for the future. These challenges are staring the world straight in the eye, exacerbated even more by the impending climate change. 

But what do we do?

In an attempt to answer this question and to tackle the aforementioned challenges we face, a group of experts from all around Europe sat down and laid out their concept, ambitions, commitments, and the steps to be taken towards finding a solution. They developed “The Crete Declaration: Uniting Science for One Health,” a four-page document published earlier this year in the OA journal Research Ideas and Outcomes, coordinated by LifeWatch ERIC. The authors include experts from many organisations and initiatives; representing ANERIS are Jaume Pierra (project coordinator, CSIC) and Berta Companys (CSIC). This document, drafted in Crete in June 2025 , is a “promise with a plan.” 

“Through the Crete Declaration, Europe’s (e-)infrastructures, organisations and projects that focus on the functioning of our biosphere commit to jointly advancing the One Health approach.”

It offers a multidisciplinary and cross-domain approach aimed at accelerating the implementation of newly emerging methods, which includes various technologies, with a special focus on the responsible use of artificial intelligence. 

Besides laying the foundations of their ambition, authors of the declaration also declare their responsibility to see this mission through, by promising to adhere to good practices such as strategic collaboration, FAIR Principles for Open Science, supporting Open Innovation towards stakeholder groups and informing Policy and Public actors.

All European stakeholders committed to One Health, including policy-makers, scientists, SMEs, and the private sector overall are welcomed and encouraged to endorse this Declaration and to join the efforts towards the One Health mission.