EPPO Panel on Diagnostics in Mycology

 

Composition (last updated May 2026)

BARNES Ann (Ms)

FERA Science Ltd, National Agri-Food Innovation Campus, York (GB)

CHANDELIER Anne (Ms)

Walloon Agricultural Research Centre (CRAW), Dept Life Sciences, Gembloux (BE)
CLEARY Michelle (Ms) Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Alnarp (SE)

DOUANLA-MELI Clovis (Mr)

Julius Kühn-Institut, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for National and International Plant Health, Braunschweig (DE)

GIORDANO Luana (Ms)

Laboratoy Plant Protection Service Lombardy Region, Como (IT)

HADDADJ EPS HAMDI Sihem (Ms)

Institut National de la Protection des Végétaux, Alger (DZ)
HAJIYEVA Nigar (Ms) Azerbaijan Food Safety İnstitute, Baku (AZ)

HEUNGENS Kurt (Mr)

Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Plant Unit, Crop Protection, Merelbeke (BE)

IOOS Renaud (Mr)

Anses-Laboratoire de la Santé des Végétaux- Unité de Mycologie, Malzéville (FR)

JUHASZ Zsuzsanna (Ms)

National Food Chain Safety Office, Budapest (HU)

LUTZ Matthias (Mr)

Federal Dept of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER, Agroscope, Institute for Plant Production Sciences, Wädenswil (CH)

MARGRETHE THOMSEN Iben (Ms)

Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C (DK) 

MATSIAKH Iryna (Ms)

Institute of Forestry and Park Gardening, Lviv (UA)

MUNAUT Françoise (Ms)

European Commission, Brussels (EU)

O’HANLON Richard (Mr)

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Celbridge (IE)

PARRA GIRALDO Pedro (Mr)

EURL Fungi and Oomycetes (FR)

PARUMA Kristine (Ms)

State Plant Protection Organization, National Phytosanitary Laboratory, Riga, (LV)

PEREZ SIERRA Ana María (Ms)

Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Moncada, Valencia (ES)

PERSEN Ulrike (Ms)

AGES, Institute for Sustainable Plant Production, Vienna (AT)

PISKUR Barbara (Ms)

Slovenian Forestry Institute, Ljubljana (SI)

SARIGÜL ERTEK Tülin (Ms)

Plant Protection Central Research Institute, Ankara (TR)
ŠIMUNAC KrešimiR (Mr) Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food, Centre for Plant Protection, Zagreb (HR)

SURINA Tatiana (Ms)

Laboratory of Mycology, All Russian Plant Quarantine Centre, FGBU, VNIIKR, Moscow (RU)

SVOBODOVA Iveta (Ms)

Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture, Holice, Olomouc (CZ)
THOMSEN Iben Margrethe (Ms) Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C (DK)
THOMSON Catherine (Ms) SASA, Edinburgh (GB)

VAN LEEUWEN Gerard (Mr)

National Plant Protection Organization, Wageningen (NL)

ŽIOGELYTE Saulė (Ms)

The State Plant Service under the Ministry of Agriculture, Phytosanitary Research Laboratory, Vilnius (LT)

 

 

Terms of Reference (as agreed by the Executive Committee in May 2026)

Introduction

A Panel on Diagnostics in Mycology was established in 2014 as more expertise in mycology was needed to develop the protocols in this area. The Panel meets in principle every 18 months. When the two meetings coincide in time, the Panel is organized back to back with the meeting of the European Mycology Network.

Terms of Reference were approved in 2014. They have been revised in 2017 and in 2026.

 

Scope

The Panel on Diagnostics in Mycology is established to specifically develop and review pest specific diagnostic Standards on fungi (including chromista).

 

Tasks

The Panel on Diagnostics in Mycology is responsible for the following activities:

 

Core-activities of the Panel are linked to Mycology Diagnostic Standards and include:

  • Reviewing the technical content of Diagnostic Standards prepared by individual experts/drafting teams for fungi (including chromista).
  • Exchanging information on validation of tests.
  • Proposing topics for new diagnostic Standards for fungi (including chromista).
  • Establishing priorities for revision of approved diagnostic Standards for fungi (including chromista).
  • Reviewing the work programme for preparing diagnostic Standards.
  • Making suggestion to updating/improve horizontal Standards and the instructions to authors of diagnostic protocols, for consideration by the Panel on Diagnostics and Quality Assurance.

 

Where appropriate the following Diagnostics Activities may also be conducted:

  • Upon request of the EPPO Secretariat reviewing possible comments made at the regional level on IPPC Diagnostic Protocols for fungi (including chromista) to advise the Panel of Global Affairs on a regional position on these protocols.
  • Comparing the content of adopted IPPC diagnostic protocols for fungi (including chromista) with the content of the EPPO Diagnostic Standard for the same pest and advising the Panel on Diagnostics and Quality Assurance whether to maintain the EPPO Standard as it is or, revise it or withdraw it.
  • Consider calls for IPPC diagnostic protocols/nominations.
  • Identifying outcomes of research projects (e.g. Euphresco) that could have an impact on the diagnostic Standards.
  • Ensuring through the EPPO Secretariat appropriate links with other bodies with activities in the area of diagnostics on fungi (including chromista) for example the EURL, EFSA and other relevant bodies.
  • Exchanging information on national initiatives in the field of diagnostics for fungi (including chromista), on ongoing research and risk assessment conducted.
  • Suggesting improvements that could be made to the EPPO Databases on diagnostic expertise and EPPO Q-Bank database and encouraging contributions from members.
  • 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. organization of workshops, conferences or webinars, new databases, general articles on diagnostics.

 

Additional activities

  • Identifying research needs to be communicated to the persons in charge of relevant regional initiatives in this area (e.g. Euphresco).

  • Identifying information on emerging pests (i.e. fungi including chromista) and related diagnostic challenges, notifying the EPPO Secretariat of any new fungus or chromista pest that should be considered for the Alert List.

  • 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 about every 18 months. In between these regular meetings it may meet by teleconference, and may hold e-mail consultations to facilitate rapid decision making.
  • Reports of meetings are ideally circulated within four weeks as a draft and participants are given two weeks in which to comment. After that the report is finalized.
  • The Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations will be informed of the plans for, progress on, and approval of Standards. The Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations may decide that some Standards should not be approved via the fast-track procedure. In that case, the Panel submits the draft Standards to the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations. The Panel may submit advice and recommendations to the Panel on Diagnostics and Quality Assurance or directly to the Working Party, as appropriate.
  • The EPPO Secretariat provides the Chair, the support of a Scientific Officer, a report writer and Administrative support for meetings.