A survey conducted among the Member States of the European Union and Norway shows that, as of December 2000, only two of them did not have a national surveillance system for antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. In Italy, Ireland, and Scotland, these systems were established very recently (in 1998, 1999, and 1999, respectively). Furthermore, with the exception of Ireland and Scotland, all have a national system for monitoring antibiotic consumption; Austria, Italy, and Luxembourg have had such systems since 2000. Several of these systems were therefore established following the publication of the recommendations from the European conference "The Microbial Threat," held in Copenhagen in September 1998. In addition, a number of other measures have been taken since then: public education campaigns in England and Wales, Ireland, and France; the establishment of committees specifically tasked with monitoring consumption in Italy or preventing resistance in Belgium and Ireland; the publication of recommendations on the proper use of antibiotics in Austria and Finland; and so on. (R.A)