24.7.2003 Official Journal of the European Union L 185/55 COMMISSION DECISION of 17 July 2003 amending Decision 2000/96/EC as regards the operation of dedicated surveillance networks (notified under document number C(2003) 2522) (Text with EEA relevance) (2003/542[EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Decision No 2119/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 September 1998 setting up a network for the epidemiological surveillance and control of communicable diseases in the Community ('), and in parti- cular of Article 3(a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) thereof, Whereas: 1 Commission Decision No 2000/96/EC of 22 December 1999 on the communicable diseases to be progressively covered by the Community network under Decision No 2119/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council () lists the communicable diseases and special health issues to be progressively covered by epidemiolo- gical surveillance. It is necessary to specify those communicable diseases and special health issues for which dedicated surveillance networks have already been put in place in order to ensure the effective operation of those networks and that the designated structuresfauthorities are aware of their responsibilities. Each Member State should nominate contact points, which may be institutions, services, departments or other bodies, to ensure that the Community network is informed regularly and without delay of events, data, statistics, and information regarding communicable diseases and special health issues covered by dedicated surveillance networks. One of those contact points or another appropriate body should act as a coordinating structure. Operating procedures of the dedicated surveillance network should be communicated to the Community network in order to improve comparability and compat- ibility of data. The measures provided for in this Decision are in accor- dance with the opinion of the Committee set up by Article 7 of Decision No 2119/98/EC, () OJ L 268, 3.10.1998, p. 1. () OJ L 28, 3.2.2000, p. 50. HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Atrticle 1 Decision 2000/96/EC is amended as follows: 1. In Article 4 the present text becomes paragraph 1 and the following paragraph 2 is added: 2. The communicable diseases and special health issues for which a dedicated surveillance network has been put in place are marked with an asterisk in Annex L. Member States shall, through their designated structures and|or authorities, specify a contact point for each dedicated surveillance network, delegated to be their national repre- sentative to provide data and information in accordance with Articles 3 and 4 of Decision No 2119/98/EC. Each dedicated surveillance network will collect relevant surveillance data and information, will ensure coordination within its structure, and will without delay communicate them to the Community network. The dedicated surveillance network will also provide the Community network with its operating procedures, addres- sing at least the topics listed in Annex III. . The Annexes to Decision 2000/96/EC are amended as set out in the Annex to this Decision. Atticle 2 This Decision is addressed to the Member States. Done at Brussels, 17 July 2003. For the Commission David BYRNE Member of the Commission