With health care structure consisting of with 158 primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in each municipality, Serbia has a solid base for response to potential emergencies and we have seen this during the COVID19 response. However, there is a need to build stronger relationship of the healthcare system and other competent national institutions and local-level partners, including the civil sector, which can make a significant contribution in responding to emergencies.. Serbia’s capacity for surveillance and response to serious cross-border health threats, including communicable diseases (CDs), remains limited and needs modernization. Further work is needed on developing standards and procedures on using laboratory data for surveillance of communicable diseases, as well as on improving quality of biosafety and biosecurity management systems and strengthening diagnostic capacities. The country is working on establishing a centralized health information and communication system